Lost Angel
by Shado Tenshi
Summary: Cloud wakes up, and remembers nothing. His instincts tell him to do something important. And everytime he does it brings him a step closer to learn what he is. But will he find out, or will he give it all up for love? CxGxS
1. Radiance of Flowers

Shado: Ok, um, I promised myself not to write another fanfic. I already have three in the making, and they're slow with updating as it is. But this idea won't stop nagging me! T.T So in order to continue the other fanfics I'll write the first chap with this one. And sorry, if it takes a while to update. Being a junior is tiresome, and when I get home all I want to do is get chores over and done with and the same with homework then relax.

Oh, and I'm not sure what pairings are going to be in here. Idk if I want either a CloudxSeph, or a tempting threesome of CloudxSephxGen, or maybe CloudxZack. So whichever seems to work or what you guys want. For now the pairings plan is in the early stages.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 1 **Radiance Of Flowers

* * *

He woke up in the middle of a field of flowers in full bloom. The boy was not much older than sixteen with fair skin, bright blond spikes for hair, and deep blue eyes that draw you in. Sitting up, the boy blinked and stared at the flower fields around him. He didn't know why he was here, or how he got there in the first place. In fact, he didn't remember anything from before he woke up. But for some reason, the boy felt calm despite his situation.

The boy had no memories of his past. He figured he was probably suffering from anmesia or got a nasty hit on the head. But, why was he out here? That puzzled him. He stood up, staring at the mountains that surrounded the tiny fields of flowers. A valley, he suspected, he was in a small valley. The mountains were covered in snow, and despite the fact it was spring, the air felt cold. His attention turned to the flowers, lovely colors of blues that matched the sky above.

How could the flowers survive in such icy temperatures? They must have evolved and became immune to the cold air, for there was enough flowers to fill a whole town. And then some. Looking over himself, the boy noticed he was dressed in dark blue jeans and boots that went a good four to five inches above his ankles with the jeans tucked inside. Black long sleeves that were tucked under leather gloves, and a matching black vest over the shirt.

From the facts gathered, the boy figured he was either somewhere in the far north or down south. Taking another good look around, he noticed white fluffy things floating in the sky. For some reason, they held a great significance to him. He didn't know why, but they held a secret about his name. Sighing, the boy searched for any pathways out of the valley. To his right he saw smoke rising from the smallest of the mountains.

With a nod to himself, he headed for the direction of the smoke. Where there's smoke, there's people. And the boy hoped that wherever he's going was where he was from. Through out most of the day he walked, and it took him almost all day to reach the smallest mountain. There was a well used path through the mountain, and the boy decided to wait until morning to walk through the path. He found a cave and curled up to the back where there was warmth and slept.

The next day he made his way through the mountain path. He tripped a few times, scraping his knees and elbows until they stung everytime he moved. Still, he traveled on without complaint. He wasn't even sure he could talk at the moment. He tried a few times, but the words didn't come out right. It was as if his brain knew words, but his mouth didn't know how to process those words into sounds.

By midafternoon, the boy found the small town he'd been searching for. He stood in the outskirts of the tiny settlement, unsure if he did know this place. No one looked familiar, and no one cared to pass him a second glance when they were near enough to see his blond hair standing out in the middle of greys and browns of the mountains. Seeing that he had no business with this town, the boy walked on to find a different place. He was halfway through the tiny town when a mother of three stopped near him.

"Are you all right young man? I can help you on your way, you'll need food if you're going to head south. The mountains farther south are more treacherous than these." she offered a kind smile.

Reluctantly, the boy nodded. The mother showed him the way to her little house. The three little ones all curious as to why the boy had such bright yellow hair. Everyone in the town had brown or black hair color. And to the boy he stood out like a sore thumb.

"His hair looks like a baby chocobo!" giggled one of the kids.

"What's his name?" the smallest asked, taking hold of the boy's hand.

The mother stared at him for a moment. "Do you have a name young man? I'm Silvia, my sons are Michael and Gabriel. That's little Abigale, you can call her Abby."

The boy smiled at each child, before pointing to the fluffy things in the sky. They looked up then at him, getting the picture.

"Those are clouds. You don't talk do you?" Silvia knew the answer.

He nodded, pointing to the clouds then at himself. Cloud. That was his name.

"His name's Cloud!" Abby squealed.

"All right Cloud, you may stay as long as you like here. And I'll assume you don't have a last name, right?" the mother asked.

Cloud shrugged. He was sure he didn't have one.

"Mother, can he have our last name? He can be part of the family." Gabriel looked eagerly at his mother.

"Sure, why not? We're at Nibelheim, in the middle of no where." Silvia smiled.

"Yay! We have a big brother!" Abby and the other two chimed.

For about six months Cloud stayed with the loving family. He helped Silvia with chores, and getting the little ones ready for school making sure they didn't forget their lunches or doing their homework. In return they taught him how to talk, read, and write. Cloud was a very fast learner, his handwriting was beautiful for a beginner. He could read the thickest books Silvia could provide for him from her small library in the house. But Cloud still had some trouble learning to talk. He knew the words, and how to put them together, it was just that his mouth didn't want to say the words.

Even though he was horrible at speaking, that didn't mean he had the attention from every single woman in Nibelheim. He noticed the only girl who ignored him was the girl next door to Silvia's house. He learned her name was Tifa Lockehart, and she was a hard one to impress. He thought she just didn't like him, until one particular day some bullies tried to hurt him. Not knowing how to defend himself, Cloud tried to run.

Tifa happened to be outside at the time, doing some errands for her father. When she saw the bullies with Cloud, she instantly ran to them and kicked their asses. Feeling like he owed her one, Cloud answered questions she had for him. It turned out she was more afraid of him, since he was the first blond haired boy ever to be in Nibelheim in history. But after they got to know each other, she told him she could teach him the basics of karate and taichou.

Not wanting to be a wimp, Cloud accepted. He knew she didn't really like him, he could tell she was still a bit scared of him but soon they became close friends. And in that span of six months Cloud felt right at home. Or at least he thought he was. But towards the end of those six months he stayed there, he felt the need to leave. The feeling grew more and more, until he could barely stand it.

So, he told Silvia about it. She listened, allowing him to take his time to explain as he did his best to string words together. When he was done she explained that he had an instinct that was telling him to leave and go somewhere else. He frowned, and told her he loved them as a family. Silvia smiled, and told him he can come back anytime he wanted. Right now his heart needed to do something else, and that he should follow it.

And so he did. Saying his goodbyes, while accepting a paper crane Abby made for him and the handbag filled with the needed accessories for his travel. Cloud felt sorry for leaving, especially Abby, who was the youngest and loved him dearly as an older brother. He understood that the paper crane was to comfort him when he needed it. And since it was made of paper, it was all right to keep it in the pockets of his pants without worrying about breaking it or the crane poking him.

After saying goodbye, he traveled once again. It was the end of summer, so the temperatures weren't as hot to the point he'd run out of water soon. He even stumbled upon plenty of springs and rivers along the way to wherever his feet wanted him to go. So he got plenty of chances to refill his water and take a bath to get rid of the annoying fleas that thought his hair was indeed a chocobo overnight he spent on the grass.

Cloud just felt glad the fleas didn't go anywhere near his lower regions. The annoying things only seemed to be attracted to the hair on his head. He was beginning to feel sorry for the real chocobos that live on the chocobo farms. If they were left outside they would surely get stressed from the amount of biting parasites under their feathers and can't find no relief without either a shower from the sprinklers or a good roll in the dirt.

Even with the battle of fleas, and a good amount of getting tired alot, Cloud still went on. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew it had to be somewhere important. He stumbled across small towns along the way, only staying briefly for food and then on his way again. It wasn't until he reached Junon he found out he was close to his destination. And that the place he felt the need to go to was Midgar.

His travels took him most of the end of summer and into early autumn. And the only way he could actually get to Midgar before the rains come in was to hitch a ride on a truck that was to deliver supplies to a bar in the slums. Of course Cloud had to help deliver the supplies, for there was alot and some where too heavy for the old man. He didn't mind, so long as he could get to Midgar and not worry about being drenched from the rains while walking through the desert.

When he reached Midgar, and after helping the old man with the supplies, he went about to explore. Once again he felt the need towards one direction, but it was still in Midgar. So he let his feet lead the way like always. All the while he was walking, he held the paper crane in his hand. He was in a strange place, and he knew no one. To help a sense of security, Cloud held the crane like a cherished object, or a tiny little friend that only he knew.

A few hours later of walking around, he found what he was supposed to be looking for. It was a girl, dressed in a light blue dress and high heeled sandels. Her hair was a mocha colored brown, braided and tied at the top in a big pink ribbon. She carried a basket of flowers, selling them to anyone who wanted one. To Cloud, she looked like an angel. He felt too scared to walk up to her, and he could feel himself blushing.

_'Too scared to face a girl? You're more than that.' _Cloud told himself.

Then a group of men, all dressed alike, made their way towards her. Tensing, Cloud suddenly felt like he needed to protect her. The men were a gang, and by the looks of it, a really well known one and feared alot. They surrounded her, arms crossed and had the look of predators across their faces.

"What's a pretty lil thin' like ya doin' around 'ere?" one of them asked.

"I'm just selling flowers." she said, standing her ground.

"Wanna know what I wann do? Do what flowers are best at." sneered another, while the others chuckled.

Before they could grab her, Cloud ran between them and knocked the first one to the ground. The others backed away a few steps, surprised for a tiny blond to get in their way and knock one of their men down with a hard kick. They all laughed, staring at Cloud.

"What do we 'ave here? A little rat caught in the lion's den full of angry beasts." laughed one.

"A good lookin' rat too." one stepped forward to grab his chin.

Cloud's eyes glowed a bright green, his iris's slanted like that of a cat's. He growled in warning, but the man didn't take heed of it. Without a second thought Cloud attacked.

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Tseng of the Turks was doing his usual mission of keeping an eye on the last Ancient on Gaia. The past few weeks he's been taking this mission more seriously. There's been a growing gang in the slums that has yet to be stopped and eleminated. They even injured a few of Tseng's men when he ordered them to weaken the gang for they were a serious threat. And yet they still held their ground.

And so everything was usual, Aerith walking about selling her flowers. Then his trained eyes caught sight of the familiar black and red jackets of the gang. Instantly he stood behind a corner, readying his gun and hoping he didn't have to blow his cover. But a Turk was meant to protect the target. And Tseng so happened to be the Head Turk. He took his missions and orders seriously. The young Turk was about to run and take fire, until a flash of gold caught his eye and then a second later one of the men was down on the ground groaning.

Tseng stayed hidden, holding his gun in ready for good measure. He watched in interest while the blond stood his ground, a total stranger, protecting an innocent girl. One of the men stepped forward, reaching to get a better look of the boy. Tseng blinked when the blond lunged forward with a yell. Within seconds the boy had two men down with the first, and aiming to do the same with the rest.

From where he was standing, the boy's eyes were glowing a bright green. Mako. Pure mako. Those eyes made the Head Turk shiver, they reminded him of Sephiroth when he was on a mission with every intent to kill. Then one of the gang members took the boy from behind, arm around the boy's neck choking him.

"Don't hurt him!" Aerith screamed, her hands intertwined in a small prayer.

"Sorry lil lady, but he go in our way. Now he must die." the leader said.

Glaring, Tseng stepped out of his hiding place and took aim. He fired at the leader, aiming straight at the heart. The big man fell, dead. The others panicked, and ran. All of them scattered, it was the end of this once dangerous and threatened gang. The boy gasped and fell to his knees, hand over his throat as he tried to breathe again. Aerith kneeled next to him, patting his back.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Y-Yea..." the boy choked out, coughing.

Tseng reluctantly stepped forward, instantly being granted a thank you from the girl.

"You're welcome. I was on patrol in search of this gang, so in a way I accomplished two things. Protecting the people and getting rid of a threat." the Turk explained, not wanting to explain he was practically stalking Aerith to protect her.

"Well thank you all the same." Aerith smiled, before turning her attention on the boy. "What's your name? I'm Aerith. And thank you for protecting me."

The boy glanced at both of them, blushing a little.

"Cl...Clou..d..." he said.

Tseng blinked, the boy had trouble talking. And yet he looked about fifteen or sixteen. Tseng stared at the boy, Cloud. He was a sight to behold close up. Even though they were in the shadows, Cloud gave off a radiant glow. He had an almost golden halo around him, an aura of the pure hearted. The radience nagged at the Turk's brain, he heard of certain people who have such a glow. It was in one of his childhood stories from Wutai. Tseng decided to look up the story when he gets to his office.

"Well then Cloud, I'll leave Aerith to your protection. Seeing you knock down those gang members shows you can take down men twice your size. That takes skills, I'll take my leave. Good day."

So Tseng turned, and left to the Shinra building. As soon as he stepped into his office he sat down and did his report first of today's mission. For some reason he had the urge to lie a little. Not a big one, but just a small one. He wrote down that there was a boy who protected her before he could, and he fired the shot without making himself known to them. It was the strange glow that captivated the Turk, and he wanted to find that story he hadn't read since he was a little boy.

Sighing, he stopped typing and sent the report in the computer. With a heavier sigh, Tseng leaned back in his chair rubbing his forehead to get rid of his growing headache.

"Now for that story..."

* * *

The strange man with a black ponytail walked away. He saved Cloud and Aerith, and yet they didn't get a name from the man. Standing up, Cloud smiled weakly at Aerith. Now that he was standing next to her, he felt more like a fool. Just a few minutes ago he was barely able to say his own name.

"You have trouble talking don't you?" Aerith asked.

Cloud nodded.

"Do you...have any memories? Before you woke up?" she pressed on, referring to when Cloud woke up on the fields of flowers.

"No...no..t...b-bef..ore...the field..." Cloud paused before pointing to the flowers in her basket.

Aerith smiled. "You woke up in a field of flowers? Did you remember your name?"

Cloud shook his head. "I...knew...the clouds...were my..."

The boy didn't finish, but the last Ancient understood. Her sweet smile reassured Cloud that he was right, that he did the right thing. Returning her smile, Cloud followed her. She lead him to her church where her flowers grew. When he was inside, Cloud felt safe. He couldn't explain it, but this church made him feel like he was meant to be here.

"I...what am...I?" Cloud weakly questioned, more to himself than Aerith.

"We're going to figure that out. That's why your instincts sent you here. I'll help, and don't worry you'll find out. I'll even help you speak!" she giggled.

Cloud smiled, making Aerith laugh. Soon both of them laughed, happy to meet each other. The blond calmed down when his ribs started to hurt, clearing his throat. The two of them sat down, and Aerith started on helping him talk without stuttering. Cloud was horrible, but they made progress within two and a half hours. At least a little, he was able to talk now and then without problems. It was only when he stumbled upon a word he wasn't used to talk yet.

"Let's take a break." Aerith sighed, standing up to stretch her legs.

Just when Cloud stood up, did the doors open. He stared when a young man, a few years older than he, walked in with a wide grin. He had wild black hair, with a stray bang hung over the side of his forehead. He wore a black uniform of loose pants, boots similiar to Cloud's, a black vest, and a broad sword strapped to his back.

"Hey Aerith, I'm off duty now so I decided to..." the stranger stopped when he saw the blond.

Blushing, Cloud lowered his gaze in respect. Whoever this was, he could tell it was someone in high authority.

"Who's this cutie?" the man grin widened, making his way closer.

"This is Cloud. He saved me from these gang members earlier." Aerith informed.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Wow. He must be strong for a puny thing."

Cloud blush deepened.

"Say, he's not much of a talker is he?"

"We were working on it. Oh, Cloud, this is Zack. My friend from Shinra." Aerith said.

"Um...hi..." Cloud scratched the back of his head in nervousness.

"Aw, don't be shy!" Zack brought the blond into a hug. "I'm not a bad guy, I'm just known to be actively hyper like a puppy and annoy people."

"Trust me, he does." Aerith giggled.

"Hey! You weren't supposed to agree!" Zack whined, pouting like a sad puppy.

"Well it's true." she laughed.

Cloud couldn't help but blush even deeper from the closeness of a handsome man.

* * *

Shado: yea...this story may make no sense, but think about the title and you may know...

Anywho, yes the first serious blushing Cloud gets is when he first meets Zack. Like I said, I don't know who Cloud should be with.

So what do you think? CloudxZack? Or a different pairing? So far I've only done Cloud n Zack, but I'm not sure if this story is actually one for that pairing.

Review plz!

* * *


	2. Quality of Love

* * *

Shado: Muwhaha! I now know what the pairing will be. This fanfic will be a CloudxSephirothxGenesis. I would love to put Zack and make this a foursome, but I've only gone as far as a threesome in fanfics. A foursome...is a little extreme for me to try right now.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 2 **Quality of Love

* * *

Tseng sighed heavily, his arms crossed over his chest and one leg over the other in frustration. It had been a few days since he met the blonde in the slums. And no matter how descriptive he was, he couldn't find the story that was nagging his mind. So instead, the head Turk was going to read every summary of his homeland's legends. For the namelesss story that was nagging him, Tseng had a feeling it was somewhere in the area of legends and myths of Wutai.

Before Tseng could even open the first legend to read, Zack came bounding in like the hyper puppy he was. His grin was wide and knowing. Tseng braced himself for whatever that was coming.

"Tseng! I just got off duty to finally ask you something. Does this kid who saved Aerith happen to be blonde, short, cute, and has trouble talking?" Zack rambled.

Except for that. The turk definately didn't expect that question.

"How would you...? Oh forget it. You're friends with Aerith." Tseng stood up.

"So am I right am I right? Tell me I was right. I know when I'm right." the young soldier nearly jumped up and down.

"Yes. It's the blonde you just described. But promise me one thing, don't spread the word about him." Tseng stared at the other man who jumped up in a 'hoorah!'.

"I knew it! When I heard about someone beating a Turk to save a girl in the slums, I thought 'It had to be him!' and so I had to ask when I was finally done from work and all." Zack nearly hugged the turk.

"Don't hug me, Zackary." Tseng warned.

"Aw." Zack pouted.

"And you didn't respond to the promise I want from you." the Turk crossed his arms.

"Oh, yea! Sorry, short attention span an' all. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about Cloud. I haven't told anyone about him, so you can count on me!" Zack pointed his thumb to his chest.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Tseng shook his head with a small smile.

"You're no fun!" Zack slumped his shoulders.

Tseng managed a chuckle as he sat down in his chair. The soldier tried to peer at what the Turk was doing.

"What'cha doing?" Zack stared at the list of legends and myths of Wutai.

"Just taking a look through myths and legends of my homeland."

"Why? I thought you didn't want anything to do with Wutai." Zack tilted his head.

"Something about Cloud reminded me of a certain myth. I'm just trying to find the one that he reminds me of." Tseng scanned the summaries.

"Hm...well I'll leave ya be then. I'm gonna go and say hi to Aerith and Cloud." Zack whirled around and almost ran out of the office.

Tseng watched the soldier go, shaking his head while asking himself how in the world he became friends with a puppy.

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Cloud was sitting next to the flowers in Aerith's church. His legs was criss-crossed apple-sauce while he stared at the flowers in thought. He saw a poster the day before that Shinra was recruiting cadets to either become a SOLDIER or a Turk. The idea of getting into the SOLDIER program intrigued the boy, and he had the urge to apply. But before he could get a paper to add his name, Aerith stopped him and brought him back to the church.

She probably didn't like SOLDIERs, only Zack was an exception since they became close friends. Still, Cloud couldn't help but brood over the fact that he couldn't try. It was like his heart pulled him towards Shinra, just like when it lead him to Nibelheim, then to Midgar. And Silvia told him to always follow what his heart pulled him to.

"Hey guys!" Zack walked in, grin wide, and seemed to be in a happyier mood.

"Hey Zack." Aerith greeted, smiling.

"How's the chocobo-head?" Zack hugged her, glancing at the brooding blonde next to the flowers.

"He wants to get into the SOLDIER program." she informed the young soldier.

"Really? And do you think he can make it?" Zack tilted his head.

"I wanted to confront you about it. But ever since I brought him back here he's been brooding." Aerith frowned a little.

"Hm..." Zack made his way next to Cloud, kneeling.

"So, you want to apply for the SOLDIER program?" the young soldier asked.

Cloud nodded.

"I'll need you to say yes, not just a nod or something." Zack grinned.

"Y...Yes." Cloud blinked.

"All righty. Then all you have to do is fill out a form, and I'll hand it over to the director in person. How does that sound?" the soldier tilted his head, still grinning.

Cloud blinked. This man, who he had only known for a few days, was willing to help him get into the program? He guessed Zack was naturally a nice guy, and Aerith was the kind hearted flower girl who was helpful to anyone who needed it.

"Sounds...great." Cloud smiled.

"Yay! And you're getting better at speaking! Now how advanced are you at reading?"

"I can read...thick books." the blonde informed.

"Wow. Then you won't have any trouble reading the form. Come to think of it..." Zack reached into his pockets. "I think I may have one on me."

Cloud watched as Zack pulled out a folded paper. The young soldier passed the paper into the blonde's hands, with a pen he found in the depths of his black hole of a pocket.

"Now if you have trouble understanding, I'll help ok?" Zack sat down.

"Right." Cloud nodded, and stared at the form.

Name:

_Cloud Strife_

Date of Birth:

Cloud blinked. He doesn't know his age.

"Zack...I don't know my...date of birth..." the blonde bit his lower lip.

"Hm...what day was it when you woke up?" Zack asked.

"Um...Silvia said...it was the nineteenth. That was six months ago..." Cloud recalled the calender Silvia marked the day when she brought him into the family.

"August 19, we'll make that your birthday then. Now...the year should be..." Zack tapped his chin.

"1992. Meaning he just turned sixteen. And if it asks about his parents, then put down that he was adopted." Aerith stepped in.

"Got that spikey?"

"Yup."

So he went back to writing.

Date of Birth:

_August 19, 1992_

And from there one, Cloud had no problems filling out the information on the paper. He had to write down a couple of lies, but they were small and it wasn't like they were going to do research on the cadets right? But just to be sure, he wrote down what Aerith suggested. He was adopted as a baby to Silvia Strife in Nibelheim and never knew what happened to his biological parents.

When he was finished, Cloud stood up and handed the paper to Zack.

"You done?" the young soldier asked.

"Yea." Cloud nodded.

"All right! I'll personally deliver this to Director Lazard. And I'll make sure that you're in one of my classes too." Zack grinned.

"That would be great." Cloud smiled back.

"Aww, the more time around me you get better at talking! I'm so touched." the soldier put his hand over his chest with a sigh.

"Zackary!" Aerith giggled.

"What? You notice this too!" Zack retorted with a puppy pout.

"Of course, but only because you're making him talk you puppy." the flower girl smiled.

"Well he's gotta start talking alot more now, before he gets recruited as a cadet. Those sargents aren't easy to impress." Zack crossed his arms.

"So...when will I be able to know...when I'll be recruited?" Cloud tilted his head.

"Oh, I'll come and get ya. I won't be with you all the way into the recruiting but I can escort you to the new recruit center. From there just find someone you can trust, and follow him. You may be able to take down a few men, but you will want friends to back you up in case you can't take 'em." Zack explained, speaking of experience.

"All right." the blonde nodded.

_Beep beep. Beep beep._

"Yea?" Zack answered his phone.

_"Zack, Angeal was just found. You're the only one who can talk to him, Genesis and Sephiroth haven't been able to persuade him to talk." _Director Lazard explained in a serious tone.

"All right. I'll be there."

Zack flipped his phone and put back into his pocket.

"I'd better get going. A friend of mine needs my help."

"Ok." Cloud nodded, curious as to who was those three the director named on the phone but didn't press the matter. If they in Shinra, then he would find out soon enough.

"How long will it take for Shinra to recruit new cadets?" Aerith asked, so she'd know how much time left she had with Cloud the boy guessed.

"About two weeks. Depends on how many cadets sign up. But the recruiting was never over two weeks of sorting out papers." Zack said, waving at them before taking his leave.

"So, we have two weeks. What do you want to do?" Aerith smiled at the blonde.

"Books?" Cloud perked.

"I thought you might say that. I know of a good bookstore not too far from here, want to get some books now?" Aerith

"Can we?" the blonde bounded toward the doors.

"Sure." the flower girl giggle, leading the way to the bookstore.

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The boy searched the many books stuffed in old, creaky bookshelves. Cloud was curious as to how the bookshelves could hold up so many books when they looked ready to drop and fall into pieces. Still, the blonde searched for anything interesting. Anything that caught his attention. And something did.

He was towards the back, where all the books were covered in dust. But there was one that stood out. It was in better condition, compared to the rest in the back. Most were so old, it took great care to take them off the shelf without letting the book fall and scatter. But this one, it was covered in dust, but not so collected with its neighbors. Cloud walked closer, taking a better look at the intriguing book. It was white, with gold and red letterings along its spine.

Ever so carefully, Cloud gently pulled it out. When he successfully got the book out of the shelf, and the others safe and not falling down, Cloud stared at it. The book was made of leather, yet it was white. With gentle hands, the boy wiped away the dust from the spine. He recovered letters, ones he never saw before. Yet, he could understand what they meant.

_'Children of the Divine One' _

Again, there was that feeling. The feeling of being drawn to something, and this time it was the book. And again, Cloud followed his instincts and searched for Aerith, book in hand. While he explored, he took a good look at he cover. There was five creatures, surrounding a five petaled rose. The five creatures, Cloud noticed were different. The one towards the top right, was a Phoenix of deep red and golden colors. Opposite of the Phoenix, was a crouching Griffin, ready to pounce.

On the lower left was a Dragon, long, lithe body with four legs, a mane around the head with sharp horns and even sharper teeth. On the lower right was a proud, rearing Pegasus. Next to the Dragon, and underneath the Griffin, prowled a big wolf. Cloud guessed it was an Amaroq, for the creatures were all mythical and Amaroq's are known to be lone wolves that devour anything in it's way.

Cloud was curious as to what secrets this book held, but he firmly carried it as he searched for Aerith. He finally found her in a section for gardening. For a moment, Cloud mentally flicked his head for not looking for the gardening section first.

"Hey...I found a book..." he said nervously, holding it up.

Aerith blinked. "You can read Wutaianese?"

"I didn't know I could. It...caught my attention. I know what the title is..." Cloud bit his lower lip.

"Well as long as you can read it. Will that be all you want to read?"

"Um...for now...is that all right?" Cloud held the book closer.

"That's fine. I just need...aha! I found it, the book about rare flowers. Now let's go and start reading." Aerith smiled, holding the book she needed.

Cloud nodded, smiling back.

Later that evening, after dinner and when Cloud took great care to wiping off the dust from his new book. He felt the need to treasure the book, like he had with the paper crane Abby gave him. And when he was done dusting and polishing the book, the boy stared at the cover. The creatures were now shining in bright colors, as if they were showing their true colors for the first time in years.

Cloud opened the book and started reading. It may not be in english, but he found that he could read the texts easily. The wordings were from a century past, but it still managed to make sense to the boy. It was here he found out what the title meant.

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"Hey, you feeling better?" Zack tilted his head, a worried expression spread across his face at the figure in the bed with bandages over his body.

"I feel better now that you're here." Angeal smiled weakly.

"Goodie. I was worried that..." Zack faltered, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Such a puppy." Angeal chuckled before reaching out. "Come here."

Immediately the young soldier was cuddling in his mentor's arms. Zack snuggled his head to the broad chest, sighing. Chuckling to himself, Angeal wrapped his arms around his puppy. A few minutes into their cuddling, Angeal let his wing be known and protectively folded over Zack like a warm blanket.

"Angeal...what happened?"

"I got attacked by monsters I've never seen before. They managed to catch us by surprise. The only thing I could do was retreat with the cadets. A few died in my arms, others I had to end their misery because I couldn't heal them." the older man choked out, but still managing to keep his voice some what calm.

"I...oh god...Angeal I-"

"No need to apologize, puppy. They caught us off guard, and they were stronger than any of the normal monsters that run around. I can only hope Tseng will send the most cautious Turks to investigate those things." Angeal sighed. "Or maybe the most witty ones."

"Heh...sounds like a job for Reno and Rude." Zack grinned.

"Most likely."

"When do you think they will let you out? I found a cute cadet, he saved Aerith from this gang with his bare hands! Oh, better not spread the word ok? I promised not to tell." Zack laughed nervously.

"Sure. And you'd better not get feelings for this cadet." Angeal warned, holding his puppy closer to prove his point.

"Nah. He's like a baby brother to me. He could almost pass as one too. If he dyed his hair black anyway, I don't think I could even get my hair close to strawberry blonde."

"I doubt you can even make it to auburn color." Angeal teased.

"Angeal!" Zack pouted.

"Aw, poor puppy." the commander kissed said puppy's forehead.

"You just enjoy this don't you?"

"You should know this by now, puppy."

Angeal couldn't help but laugh at the pout he recieved then and there. With Zack around, the world didn't seem so...

Lonely.

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_"When the war of the beasts, brings about the World's End. The Goddess descends from the sky. Wings of Light and Dark spread afar, she guids us to bliss, her gift everlasting." _the honey-coated, deep and slightly husky voice from a few drinks of alcohol of Genesis Rhapsodos quoted from his favorite book.

_"Infinite in mystery is the Gift of the Goddess. We seek it thus, and take it to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface, the wandering soul knows no rest."_

Genesis paused for a moment.

"Go on, please."

_"There is no hate, only joy. For you are loved by the Goddess. Hero of the Dawn, Healer of Worlds..."_

Sephiroth smirked, memorizing the words in his head while he listened to the lovely voice. Such a voice was indeed, good in bed, but to Sephiroth it was just as good hearing his lover quote LOVELESS. The general sighed when his lover stopped. Opening his eyes revealed that Genesis was yawning, and just about ready to fall asleep from a very hot, intimate round of rough sex.

"Tired all ready?" Sephiroth teased with a tilt of his head.

"Can't help it. The way you _mercilessly_ pound into me, drains my energy." the commander yawned again.

"That's too bad. Usually you last longer than this." Sephiroth moved closer, wrapping his arms possessively around the smaller man.

"Well, I would if it weren't for a certain puppy." Genesis complained with a low growl.

"His usual self, I presume?" the general raised an elegant eyebrow.

"No. Recently he's been more excited then ever." Genesis mumbled, shrugging to show he didn't know why Zack was acting more happy than usual.

"Hm. This is his first year teaching, he's probably plotting to make little Zack Clones to drive everyone crazy." Sephiroth chuckled.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he tried." the young commander snorted, stiffling a laugh.

"Let's just hope it doesn't succeed."

Genesis smirked, before yawning once more and allowing himself to be drawn to sleep. Within a few minutes, Sephiroth closed his eyes and fell into the familiar and comforting darkness.

That night both men dreamed of a total stranger with blonde hair, and the most beautiful blue eyes they've ever seen.

* * *

Shado: Well, since I'm finished with one fanfic now, and I got support for this, it was time to update.

1) Almaroq is a huge wolf that is bigger than any typical wolf. They hunt alone, and do eat humans if they find any in their way. Almaroq's are creatures in the Inuit (One of three Eskimos) stories and myths.

2) The Five-Petal Rose has many different meanings. But for this fanfic, it would be a symbol of Love, Leadership, Movement and Peace. It's actually the same symbol for what the rose represents. Again you'll find out later, and the book Cloud found is a small hint.

3) Ever get dreams where you meet someone, or see something that happened later? That's why Genesis and Sephy are dreaming about Cloud when they haven't met yet. Kind of like, dreams of the future if you will. I had a few myself a few years back, foretelling two deaths of two of my three horses and only one survives. Since then I hadn't had anything similiar.

Review plz!

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	3. Small Fate

* * *

Shado: This story is doing better than I actually thought. Anywho, this story will have lots of foreshadowing. I just like to keep my readers on their toes. XD

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 3 **Small Fate

* * *

The book Cloud had, he couldn't put it down. It talked about each of the five children of the Divine One. The book didn't tell him who this Divine One was, but he assumed it was a goddess, or a mother meant to bear children of gods. Cloud thought it was the latter, for all five were born on the planet and at different years.

The oldest was the Pegasus, symbol of Wisdom. Although the creature was wild and brave, but on the planet with his wings ripped away the child became a coward. Such a coward that it was said that this child made drastic mistakes. And for the rest of his life he would seek redemption for his sins. How deep the sins went the book didn't say. But Cloud suspected it had something to do with envy for all it talked about was how the Pegasus lost it's only oppurtunity for love.

The second oldest was the Griffin, symbol of Honor and Bravery. It was said that this child was great in battle, and even better at leading others into battle and leave without any injuries. This child was one to keep his brothers in line and protect them. This child was one to be known as the kinder of the five brothers, and had a heart of gold.

The middle was the Dragon, symbol of Yin-Yang. This child was to choose, between destroying the world or help his brothers save it. In his heart he was good, but once it was corrupted then he became a weapon of destruction and brought pain to many people for destroying their lives and loved ones. It was said that this child would most likely choose the path of destruction than helping his brothers save the planet.

The second youngest was the Phoenix, symbol of Rebirth. Even if the phoenix could bring about destruction, to the Divine One the phoenix was meant for rebirth. Brought back to life from its own ashes, stronger than before. This child was to never die from injuries, for he would be brought back to live once again. This child was mischievous, in a way looking for trouble. But at the same time this child was poetic, poetic only for his soul mates.

Cloud didn't get to read what the book told him of the fifth son, the Almaroq. The pages that would tell him of the youngest was torn out. Disappointed, Cloud checked the pages that weren't torn out after the book explained about the fifth son. The rest of the book told of poems about the Divine One.

Sighing, the blond set the book down. It had been three days since he had the book, and he felt utter disappointment that part of it was missing. Cloud glanced at the flowers, wishing for time to fly by so he could be recruited. Standing up, Cloud stole a glance in the empty church. Aerith was at her mother's house, and feeling that he didn't belong Cloud came back to the church. Only to be completely bored.

_Maybe,_ Cloud thought. _I could go explore Midgar._

With a nod to himself, the blond grabbed for his wallet, and left the church with a note saying he was off exploring to kill off the boredom on the top of his book. As Cloud headed towards the market, he thought maybe he could explore Sector 7. By now he knew the slums by heart, and he wanted to explore somewhere else than the slums. So he headed to the market, then to the door that lead you to the upper level, Sector 7.

Cloud glanced around his new surroundings, blinking when he realized how much more lively Sector 7 was compared to the slums. Then again, the slums was under a metal plate with very little sunlight. Taking his surroundings, Cloud kept a mental map to make sure he didn't get lost while he explored. Heaving a sigh, Cloud made his way to the center of Sector 7 where a big fountain stood.

When he reached the fountain, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Tensing up, Cloud quickly glanced around. But there was no one _there_.

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Genesis groaned. He wanted to just fucking _sleep_ but he _couldn't _because everytime he closed his eyes he pictured the adorable blond. It wasn't like he had a crush on anyone, he soelely belonged to Sephiroth, even loved the cold-hearted general. But this dream that was haunting him scared Genesis. Yes, a commander in Shinra, 1rst Class SOLIDIER, was scared from a simple dream. A dream that wouldn't leave him _alone_!

So, here he was, sitting in a bar on LOVELESS Avenue, drinking away his problems. This didn't mean the commander was an alcoholic, no. No. No. Genesis rarely sank so low to drink away his problems. But for the past three days he'd been dreaming nonstop about this blonde, who was a total stranger to him. For someone who was that _adorable_, Genesis would know if he saw that face before not to mention he'd remember a freakin' _name_ with it.

Unfortunately, with his whole body relying on mako it took _alot _of drinks to help the poor commander to drown away his thoughts. Growling, Genesis took down the last drops from the sweet, sweet promises of forgetting everything and set the bottle on the counter with a clunk.

"Don't you have something stronger than this? I'm not even a bit tipsy." Genesis crossed his arms.

"Sorry, _commander_, but I'm not supposed to give you anymore drinks." the bartender said, taking the bottle and throwing it away.

"Fuck you."

"Is that an invitation?" the bartender smirked.

"Hell no!" Genesis stood up, stomping his way out of the bar.

"I was about to offer him more drinks for saying no." the bartender shrugged.

"That kid's got anger issues." grumbled another man.

"Too bad it takes alot of alcohol for some soldiers like him to drown away their stress." the bartender sighed, wiping a glass clean.

"An' what'cha complainin' about? The more they drink, the more money, eh? It'd good fer da business!"

The bartender rolled his eyes.

Genesis sighed and headed to the exit of LOVELESS Avenue to find a better bar he could get stronger drinks. Just before the commander reached the end of the avenue, his sharp eyes caught sight of something short, and blonde spikes. Genesis stopped and stared. It couldn't be...

Rubbing his eyes, Genesis stared again. The figure that haunted his dreams was there in front of him. For a few moments Genesis stared, before deciding it was simply a mirage and it was the alcohol that was doing this to him. So before the boy could even turn around to see, Genesis disappeared into a different bar for more booze.

"Again for the drinks, Genesis? What's got into you so badly just to walk around to get yourself drunk? You're never one to drown away stress." the bartender, Maria, questioned as she pulled out the one beverage that would certainly do the job for him.

"Hm...let's say I'm being haunted by simple dreams." the commander shrugged, sipping his first few sips of DumbApple Whiskey.

"Oh? And it wouldn't be the general this time?" Maria raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, he's been having the same dreams as I have. Strangely enough." Genesis sighed.

"What's this dream about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Why should I tell you?" the commander teased, tilting his head.

"For one, no one's around to listen into what's been bothering you. And you know me, I can keep secrets. So, chop chop. What's bothering you young man?" Maria set her hands on her hips.

Genesis licked his lips from stray droplets of his drink. "I've been having dreams of a lovely figure, one who I've never seen before in my entire life."

"And what about the general?"

"Same thing."

"How about telling me about this person? I can keep an eye out for this figure, see if this dream is true or not." Maria insisted.

Genesis took a sip from his bottle, bidding his time as he thought about it.

"He's less than six feet tall, I'd say around 5"1 maybe, and looks about fifteen or sixteen or so. Blond hair like that of a chocobo, and has the most _gorgeous _blue eyes that you've ever seen. They're bright like the sky, but a deep shade like the deep and dark ocean." Genesis made a small smile.

"Sounds adorable." Maria laughed, cleaning the counter three feet away form the commander.

"He is...I just wish what his name is and what his voice sounds like." Genesis huffed, now drinking down his beveragein rather large gulps.

"Not too much, Genesis! I don't want you to choke and then I have to call Shinra to explain you're so intent on drowning yourself you'd do it with DumbApple Whiskey." Maria snapped.

"My apologies. It's just that now I'm seeing mirages of this boy." the commander hiccuped.

"When did that happen?"

"A few minutes ago...I saw him walking around the fountain." Genesis shrugged.

"Are you sure it wasn't a mirage?" Maria stopped wiping the counter.

"He had a golden halo about him."

"Did he have a golden halo in your dreams?" Maira questioned.

"Now that you mention it...he did..." Genesis reminisced his dreams, realizing that the boy did have a golden halo.

"But what's that got to do with the mira-"

"If he had a golden halo in both your dreams, and a few minutes ago, then he was real." Maria cut in, taking hold of the commander's bottle.

"But Maria..." Genesis whined, trying to reach for the bottle.

"Not until you go out and find him." the bartender huffed, setting the bottle away from the commander's reach.

"But-"

"And no buts. For Gaia's sake, you're acting like a little child!" Maria waved her arms. "What am I, you're mother?"

"No...but you'd make a good mother." Genesis smiled.

Maria stared at him. "You're the reason why I won't be a mother. The alcohol is finally getting to you."

Genesis snorted. "Yea right."

"Then let me see you walk out of here and search for that boy." Maria challenged.

"Hmph. Easy-peasy." the commander stood up, staggering his way out.

Maria shook her head. "It's official. I'm definitely not going to have kids."

Instead of looking for the mirage, Genesis headed to a third bar. He staggered inside, although it wasn't a serious stagger like a complete drunk. It was more like a mis-step, small and almost unnoticed by the untrained eye. From in this bar, the commander drank down more alcohol, and within half an hour he was definitely, staggering like a drunk. After the half hour or so, Genesis staggered his way into the streets, making his way towards the fountain. For some strange reason, he felt like sitting down.

But being a drunk, Genesis meant to _sit down_ but instead he was falling head first into the water.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cloud had just finished eating dinner from a tiny restaurant. It was the best food from a restaurant in Midgar, but still nothing compared to Aerith's cooking. And so the blond made his way back to the fountain, the center of Sector 7 to follow the most familiar path back to Sector 5. Just when he reached the fountain, he saw a man around his early twenties late teens, was about to fall head first into the water.

Instantly Cloud ran to the man's side, holding him up carefully while not minding the crimson man slumped against him. The stranger smelled heavily of alcohol, different kinds Cloud noticed by the many different scents of beer, whine, whiskey, and was that _apple_ he smelled?

"Hehe...you're cute..." chuckled the drunken man.

"Were you trying to sit on the fountain?" Cloud asked.

"Yea..."

"I'll help you sit down then." Cloud offered, helping the staggering man towards the fountain to sit down.

"No...no need...I don't need to. Not when I have a cute little angel helping me." the stranger smirked.

Cloud blushed. "I'm sorry, but I'm not an angel."

"Oh? Too bad. You could pass off as one..." the man leaned closer, still smiling as his nose nuzzled the blond's cheek.

Cloud shivered, and without meaning to he leaned into the nuzzling touch. The handsome figure leaned in closer, nearly making their lips make contact when Cloud whimpered and both paused. Their lips were mere centimeters apart. The stranger was staring intently at Cloud, as if he was trying to remember something.

"You...look familiar...what is your name?"

"You first..." Cloud tried to keep his voice sound calm.

"Genesis..."

"I'm Cloud..."

Genesis leaned closer, until the blond gasped and wiggled out of the other's arms. Before the commander could muster what had happened, he lost his support and fell into the fountain water face first with a splash. Cloud ran to the street for Sector 5 as fast as his short legs could carry him. Cloud ran and ran, he didn't stop until he burst through the chruch doors and stopped to catch his breath. Aerith was at his side at an instant, hand over his back in an effort to help the blond breathe.

"Cloud? What happened? Were you attacked?"

"I...um..." the blond flushed, hand over his mouth his eyes wide in shock.

"Cloud?"

"N-Nothing...it's nothing..." Cloud breathed in gulps of air.

"You sure?" Aerith frowned a little.

"Yea..." Cloud calmed down his breathing and quickly made his way to his book to sit down, shoulders slumped, and read.

Aerith bit her lower lip. "You know, I just need to go and do a few quick errands. I know its late but I just remembered what I needed to do, it's just down the street so I'll be right back."

"Ok."

Not so much as a glance.

The flower girl left the church to glance around the street. She peered at the building across the street, and made her way to the empty house.

"I know you're there. I know I'm being followed, I'm just too nice to do anything about it. Can you please send a message to 1rst Class SOLDIER Zack Fair?" Aerith asked politely.

Silence met her ears.

"Well, just tell him that he needs to come visit all right? It's something urgent with a friend of mine." the flower girl turned around, and made her way to the Gardening Store in the market.

In the shadows, a redhead Turk bit his lower lip, debating whether to go and tell the SOLDIER the message now or follow the girl.

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Reno, a redheaded Turk known to be a pervert with a bad mouth, made his way back to Shinra building. He was just about there when he stumbled across a familiar form sitting in the fountain. The Turk did a double take and stopped to observe the most _unusual _scene before him.

It was Commander Genesis Rhapsodos, drunk in a stupor as he sat in the fountain soaked to the bone. In most cases, Reno would have laughed. But he knew that Genesis was someone never to mess with, even if he happened to be drunk. Sighing, Reno stepped closer and crossed his arms.

"What the hell happen'd to you?"

Genesis looked up, tilting his head.

"I said, what the hell happen'd to you?" Reno asked again.

"I...don't know..." Genesis sniffed.

Reno raised an eyebrow, taking a closer look at the commander.

"Are you..._crying_?"

"No! I'm not crying! I'm just...I lost something...I can't remember what..." Genesis pouted, sniffing once more as he wiped away his tears.

"Well, whatever it was is gonna have'ta to wait. I'll be nice for once to a soldier an' help ya get back to Shinra b'fore you catch a serious cold." Reno sighed, holding his hand out to Genesis.

Genesis sniffed once more, before taking the held out hand. Now that he was a little less drunk, he wasn't that helpless on walking. Or so he thought when he nearly fell once again before Reno caught him just in time. Reno had one arm around the soldier, the other holding onto Genesis' right arm around his shoulders so the other man could lean on him as they walked. Genesis had a noticable limp, thanks to falling into the fountain and leaving a bruise on his left leg that was still giving him pain.

When they walked through Shinra's doors, the lady at the desk gasped and called in Sephiroth and the director. In a matter of moments both the general and director were at Genesis' side, demanding and questioning him with worried faces.

"Genesis, what the hell happened?" Sephiroth questioned.

"He got drunk, and somehow tripped into the fountain." Director Lazard crossed his arms.

"He said he lost somethin' but can't rem'ber what." Reno filled in.

"What would he loose? No one dares to attack a soldier, especially a _commander_ for crying out loud." the general snarled.

Genesis sniffed. "It wasn't...an object..."

"Well whatever you lost, you'll probably remember after you get some rest. I'll inform the president that you will be out of action for the next few days." Lazard left for his office.

"Come one, Genesis. Let's get's get you changed and into a warm bed." Sephiroth hummed, now helping his lover to walk.

"All righty. See ya around." Reno waved and ran off before the general could call him back.

Shaking his head, Sephiroth pulled Genesis along to his room. It didn't take long for them to reach the luxurious room, and when they entered the general settled Genesis into a chair to fetch some pajamas. Usually Sephiroth loved to see his love in his silken pj's. But with Genesis wet and most likely catching a cold, the general pulled out his soft and made of fluffy cotton instead. Along the way he grabbed a few towels too. Sephiroth stepped into his living room to find his lover sleeping in an odd angle in the chair.

"Oh you..." Sephiroth made a small smile, gently shaking the other soldier awake.

"Huh..." Genesis raised his head, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Just stay awake for a little longer all right? Here, stand up and I'll help you change." the general said in a softer voice.

Groaning, Genesis stood up and did his best to stay awake as Sephiroth undressed him. The commander chuckled weakly when he was stripped to nothing, his body shivering. Gently Sephiroth took a towel and began to wipe away the cold water from the other's skin. Halfway through the general nipped at sensitive spots around his lover's sides to keep Genesis awake. The commander whimpered, and did his best to try to keep his eyes open.

"Se...Sephiroth..." Genesis whimpered, biting his lower lip.

"Hm?" the general was now putting the soft pajamas over his lover's body.

"I saw him..."

"Saw who?"

"Hm...can't remember..." Genesis closed his eyes and fainted.

Sephiroth caught his lover just in time, picked him up in his arms to make his way to his bedroom. With Genesis safely tucked in, the general changed into his black silken pajamas to climb into bed and embraced his lover. With a sigh, Sephiroth too fell soundly asleep.

* * *

Shado: I hope this chap is a bit longer than the last two... Muwhahaha.

1) DumbApple Whiskey, yes its whiskey with the taste of dumbapple, or Gandora Apples that Genesis grew up with as a child. They're supposed to be overly delicious, so I thought why not add the flavor in a drink? I mean besides a juice, Genesis already did that in Crisis Core.

Review plz!

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	4. Small Hope

* * *

Shado: ...*cries* This story beat the record of most reviews when there's less than 10 chaps into my stories. This story beat Frozen Hearts, Frozen Roseswhen it had 28 reviews for 9 chaps, this one has 32 for 4 chaps! Oh, and sorry for making you guys wait a bit. This week was the end of the first grading period, and that's the time when it gets hectic and teachers giving us too much damn homework. Well now everything's gonna be back to normal! ...Until it's the end of the second grading period...but that's in the next six weeks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 4 **Small Hope

* * *

After the heads up from Reno that Aerith asked for Zack's help about Cloud, the soldier immediately tried to get the bottom of it. So far he was unsuccessful. For the past week or so Zack was trying to get Cloud to talk what happened the night he explored Sector 7, visiting Angeal at least once a day, and getting ready for his classes within the next week. The young soldier was tired. Fatigue clearly shown in his face for he was worried about his love, and an embarrassed Cloud. Whatever happened that night, the blond must have experienced something with either someone handsome, or beautiful. And Zack wasn't even given a hint whether it was a man or a woman.

With a heavy sigh, Zack checked the time. 11:10 p.m., around the time Cloud was at the church reading books about romance. Zack shrugged, before setting whatever he was doing at work and left. He didn't want to be pushy with Cloud, but if the kid didn't explain what had happened then Zack would have to take drastic measures and bring Sephiroth into the situation.

Of course, Zack would be more than happy enough to ask Angeal for help but his lover was still healing. And Genesis was suffering from a very nasty case of flu and was out of action since the night he was found in a fountain. If he could, Zack would laugh at the crimson commander's face. But, with the two commanders unable to be of much help at the moment, only Sephiroth was left to ask for help.

Within a good five minutes Zack reached the church, and with a moment's hesitation the young soldier walked in. He grinned while Cloud looked up and smiled back.

"Hey, ready for a lunch break? I'm starving, and I bet you are too after all this reading." Zack stepped closer, helping the blond give a hand to stand up.

"Sounds great! I could use something to eat..." Cloud blushed when his stomach growled notably.

"Looks like your stomach agrees. Now, let's go! I know this awsesome place in Loveless Avenue." Zack lead the way, pulling the blond with him like a puppy pulling on a leash.

"Hey, slow down puppy!" Cloud tried to pout, but didn't last long when he realized that Zack was leading him to Sector 7.

"Um...Zack? You sure it's all right for us to-"

"Of course! No one attacks a soldier, especially a first class! Trust me spike, you'll be safe with meh!" the soldier grinned with confidence.

"For some reason that scares me..." Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"Aw, c'mon chocobo-head! I'll protect ya! And that's a promise. You should know by now I keep my promises like a gentleman." Zack puffed his chest.

"Oh really?"

"Yes really."

"Are you planning something Zack? Or did you sneak sugar into your food this morning?" the blond questioned, having a suspicous feeling about the soldier.

"...OH NOES! How'd you know about the sugar!?" Zack raised his hands up as if he was caught red handed.

"It was just a guess..." Cloud shrugged.

"...Don't tell anyone. The general would have my ass carved and set on his wall and poor Angeal would 'tsk tsk' at me while I'm whining." Zack pressed his hands together, smiling guiltingly.

"Right..."

"Anywho, I just wanna spend time with ya. And friends are supposed to spend time together, right?" the soldier grinned.

Cloud stopped dead, his eyes narrowed at Zack to study him more carefully. The young soldier continued his wide smile, hoping he didn't just slip up. But Cloud saw right through his facade, and instantly the blond stepped back while Zack whined.

"Oh, c'mon please, Cloud. I'm begging you, whatever happened I'll help you with the problem. If someone did something horrible, I'll talk to them and give them a piece of my mind! Please Cloud, I just want to help." Zack begged, giving his friend his best 'puppy look'.

Cloud stared, unsure what to do. He currently had two issues he knew of. One, he had this urge, this urge to go find Genesis and seek warmth and love. Second, he felt that he needed to know what he was. At the moment Cloud doesn't know which feeling was stronger, for whenever he stopped to think he found that both were equal. He tried to listen to his heart, like he did this whole time since he woke up from the field of flowers, but it failed him to show what he should do.

"I...I want to find out what I am. And yet...at the same time I want to love someone... Both needs seem equal to me, I don't know which one to follow through first." Cloud sighed, lowering his gaze.

"What do you mean, find out what you are?" Zack tilted his head.

"I still have no memory before I woke up in that field. It's been six months, I've been patient, and now I believe I'm supposed to look for anything to help me know what I am. But..." the blond bit his lower lip.

"You have feelings for someone, and yet you also want to find out your origins and stuff." the young soldier crossed his arms in thought.

"Yes..."

"Hm...hey! I know someone who can help you with finding out your origins, or at least he can try, he's got sources. And I can help you with your love problem! I'm in a relationship myself, and let me tell ya I can teach you how to dodge the first few bullets of hurt in a relationship." Zack grinned, clapping his hands.

Cloud blinked. "That can work...but, are we able to trust this person?"

"Yes, he helped me out of tight situations on my missions several times. And he's good at keeping secrets, it's his specialty." the soldier informed.

Cloud nodded, hoping Zack realized how much the blond set his trust into his friend. Sensing that the blond was more relaxed, Zack grabbed Cloud's hand to guide him to the restaurant. Cloud yelped when he was once again, literally dragged by the excited puppy.

"Zack!"

"Let's just go get somethin' to eat, and you can explain about this person that caught your little heart Chocobo-Head!" said soldier laughed.

Cloud blushed, not sure how to explain about Genesis when he only met the handsome guy once but he allowed himself to be dragged along anyway. When the two reached the restaurant, the blond noticed it was small and cozy. It was perfect for a nice lunch, and friends to sit down and talk. Cloud glanced up at the name above the entrance, reading Loveless Heart. Inside the theme was red, the tablecloth was a bright shade while the carpet was a deep, wine red. The counters and chairs were made of redwood, with roses and hearts carved here and there.

"Wow..." Cloud stared, taking in the whole scene before him.

"Ya like it? It's the best place in the world for couples." Zack grinned, heading to a table in the back.

At Cloud's blush and confused look, Zack couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, sorry. I told you, I'm in a relationship. This is where it all started." the soldier raised his arms at his surroundings.

"So...this is where your relationship started?" Cloud tilted his head, curious.

"Yup. All right here, in that corner over there," Zack pointed to the far corner on the blond's left. "and since then, Angeal and I have been having a great time."

"How long have you been together?"

"Hm...about a year maybe? Our anniversary would be this coming Christmas Break for you cadets." Zack pulled out a chair for Cloud.

"So, what we will have boys?" a waitress asked politely when the two sat down.

"You know me Maria, I'll have the usual!" Zack grinned.

"Of course you will." Maria smiled back, then turned to Cloud.

"And you?"

"Um..."

"Oh! Give him the special! The special! I know he'll love it." the soldier nearly bounced up and down in his seat.

"Let him decide first, you puppy." Maria smacked Zack's shoulder.

"I'll...take the special." Cloud said.

"Special it is. And any beverages?"

"I'll have soda pop." the blond smiled, eager to have one for the last time he had one was when Sylvia had enough gil for the kids to have a bottle.

"I'll take apple juice please. Make that Dumbapple too." Zack crossed his arms.

"Your food will be in shortly." Maria turned to get their drinks.

Zack turned to his blond friend. "So...about this person you like."

Cloud wished the food would come faster.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed for the tenth time. Usually he'd sigh many times in the late afternoon due to paperwork, but he had some time off to help Genesis get over his cold. But now Sephiroth had a feeling that he'd end up sighing a thousand or more times during his time off. Genesis was an early morning riser, even when his body needed the sleep. To make things worse the commander would stay up late, preventing him from getting over his cold any faster.

"Sephy...I'm tired of sittin' around here doing nothing." Genesis whined.

"Then you shouldn't walk around drunk and sit in the middle of a fountain." the general shot back.

"I keep telling you, I lost something." the commander shrugged, flipping through the tv channels.

"And what, may I ask, would that be? I doubt it'd be change that you threw into the fountain." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Like I keep telling you, I don't remember." Genesis leaned his head back onto the couch in defeat.

"You said you met someone, you just don't remember who." the general pointed out.

"Well, I just don't remember all right?" the commander groaned.

"Tell me, have you been having those dreams since that night? I'm curious, I'm still having those." Sephiroth crossed his arms.

"Yes..." Genesis hesitated.

"Why did you hesitate?" the general raised an eyebrow.

"Um...the dreams...escelated..." the commander blushed, turning away.

"You're dreaming of having sex with this stranger." Sephiroth said bluntly.

"No!" Genesis denied.

"No need to scream."

"Well excuse me trying to keep this relationship going!" the commander huffed.

Sephiroth shook his head. "You know, I was hoping that this break from work would be worth it. Now I see that I don't want to watch over you when you're sick."

"Aw...but you know you love me." Genesis smirked, scooting closer to the general.

"Genesis..." Sephiroth tried to say 'don't kiss me when you're sick', but Genesis was too quick.

At first Sephiroth wanted to push his lover away, but after a little coaxing from Genesis' expert tongue the general payed no mind. The kiss deepened to teeth and tongue, Genesis doing his best to distract the general so he could be on top. Catching what was going on, Sephiroth growled and jerked his hips once, earning a moan. At the motion of Sephiroth's hips, Genesis stopped halfway through settling the general on the couch. Smirking in victory, Sephiroth switched their postions in a second.

"Aw...why do you always get to be on top?" the commander whined with a pout.

"Hm...I think you know this already. I'm a control freak." Sephiroth chuckled, his eyes glowing a bright green with lust/

"And a clean freak." Genesis teased.

Sephiroth frowned, smacking his lover upside the head.

"You hurt me so." the commander pouted again.

"Thanks for ruining the mood. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to rinse my mouth from your germs." the general stood up, ignoring his lover's whining as he made his way to the bathroom.

"It's not like you could get sick!" Genesis called out, crossing his arms when he heard the bathroom door close.

Sephiroth almost snorted, but kept it in. Of course, he couldn't get sick. He just had a very serious case of msyophobia. If he wasn't raised in Hojo's lab, he might not have had such a fear of germs in the first place. Then again, he wasn't able to leave the labs because Hojo would do horrible punishments if he did something wrong. With a heavy sigh, Sephiroth grabbed the mouthwash to get to work.

Twenty minutes later, Sephiroth walked into the living room to find Genesis fast asleep on the couch. With Genesis fighting a cold and not getting enough sleep for about a week and a half, the fatigue finally got to him. Smiling to himself, Sephiroth turned off the tv. He gently picked Genesis up into his arms and carried him to their bedroom.

Genesis wiggled, sensing the change in temperature of the cold bed. Sephiroth climbed into bed and before he had time to wrap his arms around his lover, Genesis snuggled into the general's warm chest. Chuckling lightly, Sephiroth kissed his lover on the forehead. Genesis hummed, smiling weakly.

"And here you said you couldn't wait for me to get better." the commander said hoarsly.

"You know I love you." Sephiroth rubbed his lover's back. "Now go back to sleep, I'll stay here."

Genesis hummed again, snuggling closer and took a deep breath. Sephiroth watched as his love fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

"So you're saying, you've only met this guy once, and you've got a crush on him?" Zack asked through a mouthful of his food.

Cloud barely understood a word, but filled in the rest.

"Yea...pretty much." the blond nodded, glancing at his special.

It was rice in the shape of a heart, cooked tempeh with a spicy recipe surrounding the hot rice. On the sides was a half shaped heart steak, noodles with vegetables on the other side, and a small salad on a smaller plate. Cloud's mouth watered. The food smelled great, and he almost felt bad he was going to eat it. Almost. But after his first bite, he didn't feel bad at all. The taste reminded him of Nibelheim, with Sylvia's special touch of love in every meal she made.

Zack chuckled as he watched Cloud eat more and more of the special. It was the same reaction the young soldier had when he first ate at Loveless Heart. When they were halfway done with their lunches, did Zack bring them back into the topic.

"Did you get a name of this guy?" Zack asked, swallowing his bite first for once.

Immediately Cloud bit his lower lip, debating. Zack raised an eyebrow.

"Is it someone from Shinra?"

"He...looked like he was." Cloud admitted.

"What'd he look like?"

"Likes the color red alot." the blond mumbled.

Zack paused for a moment, taking another bite of his food. Red... His eyes widened, realizing just who Cloud described.

"Oh my goodness!" Zack stood up, hands gripping his hair.

The action was so sudden that Cloud nearly jumped off his chair, choking on his bite. Fisting his right hand, he pounded his chest and within moments Cloud was back to normal on breathing.

"You've got good tastes Chocobo. But I'd hate to break it to you, he's already in a relationship. They've been together for a good four years." Zack crossed his arms.

Cloud lowered his gaze. He suddenly didn't feel like eating his now favorite food anymore. The blond lost his appetite from this new information.

"Hey, hey. Don't look so down. You're too cute to be down under. Now come on, smile, I wanna see that smile." Zack poked Cloud's cheeks.

The blond giggled, biting the insides of his cheeks to stop him from smiling. His attempt failed when the soldier started tickling his sides. Cloud wiggled as he laughed, trying his best to stop Zack's evil tickling hands. When Cloud could barely breathe, Zack 'oorah'ed and stood up.

"All right! Victory dance!"

While Cloud was trying to catch his breath, he had to hold it as he watched the funky Zack Victory Dance. When the first class soldier was done, Cloud breathed in heavily to catch his long needed breath. Zack grinned, feeling proud of himself.

"Anyway, if you happen to warm into Sephiroth's cold heart, I'd think you'd be able to join them. After all those two are perfect together. You'll be their lil chocobo-cuddly."

Cloud snorted. "Their what?"

"Well, they're hot together. But I always felt that they needed something cute in the relationship. Maybe you're the cute something." Zack shrugged.

This time the blond smiled, feeling some hope. He had hope. It was small, and a little out stretched but it was still hope. Cloud picked up his fork and started eating again, it was still his favorite food on his list. Zack sat down again, going back to his lunch and started to explain everything about the general and his commander.

Cloud learned that Genesis had some anger issues, as well as unpredictable mood swings, but was still considered one of the most favorable gentleman in SOLDIER. The blond learned that Genesis was obsessed with poetry, mainly LOVELESS. But the commander was still into poetry none of the less.

Sephiroth was the total opposite of Genesis. From what Zack told Cloud, the general was calm, yet he always had a cold and stern expression. Sephiroth was the most looked up soldier in Shinra, yet sometimes feared as well with his cold demeanor. The general was also a hard one to impress, even harder when you're a cadet. When Cloud learned what he could from Zack, he felt that his small piece of hope just got smaller.

But by the end of Zack's lunch hour, Cloud didn't worry too much. He had Zack for help, and Cloud promised himself to try his very best when he becomes a cadet in the next week. The blond felt excited, and a little nervous at the same time. But for now he'll enjoy his last few days with Aerith, enjoying life before he would live the hard life of a cadet.

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Tseng groaned inwardly to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose to ease away his mild headache. He had been searching through legends and stories the past week or so, and he knew he was just one step closer to finding what he was looking for. It's just that the Head Turk didn't have that much time to search on the computer because half the time he used it for work and it was tiring. Not to mention his hands would possibly have arthritis problems in the near future if he kept his computer time up.

Flexing his fingers, Tseng readied himself to get back on the dreadful screen. He had an idea what legend he was looking for now, and it was a long shot. Tseng knew of the chilren of the Goddess, and he knew that the legend was in fact real. The Turk also happened to know three of the five children. All five children had one wing, a symbol of what powers they had and the role the children had.

The three of five Tseng knew of, happened to be in Shinra, disguised to keep their true identities secret until they found the last two. The two that have been missing for quite some time, yet these three didn't know who the other two children were. They just knew that one of them had two wings, and the other had to earn his wing by doing a number of important actions of both saving the world, and maybe even stopping one of the children from becoming evil.

Tseng sighed. He knew two versions of the legend. The first version was that the children were angels, thus explained the wings. The Wutaianese version was that the children had the powers of their symbols, which was true in a sense. But the Divine Children weren't considered angels in the Wutai version of the legend. And the Head Turk just needed a little more information about the oldest of the Divine Children, and the youngest. For not much was said about the two.

So here the Heard Turk sat, in his lonely office. The computer had just finished waking up, and Tseng immediately got himself on the files he had about the Divine Children, or Angels, which ever worked. He had gathered all the information he could find when he first found out about the three of five in Shinra, and he put all the information into one file on his computer that only he had access to.

Opening the file, Tseng scanned the information quickly for the youngest. If anything, Cloud was most likely the the youngest, if he was indeed one of the Divine Children. Within a few moments he found the paragragh about the youngest. He read the first few sentences, and decided to scan the rest until something caught his attention.

_This child is known to be the favorite child of the Divine One, and the strongest even if everyone doubted him. It is also said that this child may have a golden halo..._

Immediately Tseng stood up, dialing in Zack's number.

* * *

Shado: well, that's your first big clue...but I didn't want to let you guys know until later chapters, but these first few chaps will be boring without spoiling the plot cuz I don't want to make it look like there is no plot. This was one of my best ideas, n I wanna do my very best with it.

Oh, and just to let you know, Aerith will be in the next chap. I just realized she wasn't in this chap, so she'll most definately be in the next. She plays an important role, a bit similiar to Tseng's.

Review plz!

* * *


	5. Lazy Day

* * *

Shado: Finally got this one up. It seems a bit shorter than the previous chaps, but at least I'm trying to update between playing KH 358/2 Days, doing homework, doing more homework, doing more homework, learning to drive, helping my sister through a stupid love triangle that's been going on for too long, and going to sleep ASAP.

So the title of this chap is what I really would love to have. Just a day to be lazy and do whatever.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 5 **Lazy Day

* * *

Zack groaned, this was the first night he was able to sleep with Angeal in his bed, and his damn phone began vibrating loudly on the bedside table. Angeal sighed, unwrapping his arms from his puppy to give him room to take the call. The one thing you learn in Shinra, don't miss your calls. Even if it happened to be in the middle of the night. Sitting up like a zombie, Zack lazily reached for his phone and flipped it open.

"He-llo?" the soldier yawned.

"Zack, forgive my timing, but I have a question."

Zack's eyes snapped open, recognizing Tseng's voice, who sounded oddly excited.

"Uh, yea sure, what's the question?" Zack glanced at Angeal, mouthing to him who it was.

Angeal blinked, then nodded in understanding. Lazard rarely called late at night unless it was an emergency. Even so, the director usually called in the commanders or Sephiroth.

"Have you noticed Cloud has a golden halo?"

The young soldier tilted his head, biting his lower lip as he pictured Cloud in his head. And now that he thought about, Zack did noticed the halo.

"Yea...I didn't realize it until now though." the soldier said, laying back down.

"Zack, I think we just found one of the two missing angels."

"Ok. Wait, what!?" the young soldier screamed, now fully awake.

"Puppy!" both Angeal and Tseng scowled.

"Ah, sorry guys. It's just that...Tseng, are you sure? Are you positively sure about Cloud being..." Zack sat up again, now more awake than ever.

"Yes, I'm sure. I double checked the information I have, it is more than a possibility that he is one." Tseng explained.

"You sure you're not loaded with coffee an-"

"Zackary." Tseng warned.

"All right, all right. Just makin' sure."

"Right. I'll let you go."

"Good-"

The dial tone met his ear.

"-night."

"So what's this about the soon to be cadet?" Angeal yawned.

"I'll tell ya in the morning." Zack snuggled closer and curled up.

Angeal chuckled softly when he wrapped his arms around his puppy again, and fell back into a warm, wonderful sleep.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By mid morning Zack cracked his eyes open and sat up with a big yawn. Angeal, who was already awake, chuckled as he watched his pup stretch his arms, still yawning. When Zack was done stretching, Angeal sneaked his arms around the slim waist and pulled the smaller soldier to his chest. Zack yelped, but snuggled against his captor anyways.

"So, what was that late night call about?" Angeal lightly kissed Zack's cheek.

"Huh?" Zack blinked, still half asleep.

"Don't tell me you forgot. Tseng called around one in the morning with a question." Angeal reminded.

"...Oh I remember. Tseng said something about the possibility of Cloud being one of you." the younger soldier yawned.

That caught Angeal's attention. There hasn't been any successful searches for the last two angels. How could this one come out of the blue?

"Remind me who Cloud is."

"The kid I found with Aerith. He's going to be recruited as a cadet next week." Zack explained, now more awake.

"And Tseng is sure Cloud is one of us." Angeal felt skeptical.

"He said something about a golden halo was one of the key features of finding out if someone was one of the two missing angels." Zack shrugged.

"And Cloud has this feature?"

"Yes, I didn't bring it up cuz I thought it was just the funny way of the light on him."

"Hm. I'll have to meet him first, and I have to see how he fights. Then I'll give word to Sephiroth and Genesis." Angeal said, nuzzling the soft messy hair of his boyfriend.

Zack wiggled, trying to keep down his giggling fit. His head was overly sensitive when his hair was moved or pulled. Angeal knew this weakness, and made the most of it when they were alone together. Angeal growled playfully, savoring the most delightful whimper from his puppy. The commander chuckled, moving from nuzzling to biting and licking Zack's neck, earning small moans and gasps.

"Ah! Angeal...p-please..." Zack shivered, tilting his head to grant said commander more access to his neck.

Smirking, Angeal switched their positions, his knees on either side of Zack's waist to prevent him from wiggling his way out. Zack bit his lower lip, realizing he was on his stomach, with Angeal on top of him. The young soldier hated this position, least of all unable to escape from the lovely sensations that was making him hard.

"What do you say we have a little action before work, ne?" Angeal whispered seductively into Zack's sensitive ear.

Zack shivered, moaning.

* * *

Cloud yawned, curling up more into the warm blanket. He didn't want to wake up, he wanted to stay in this warmth. But the sun didn't agree, which ever side he lay, the bright rays of light irritated his eyes as if the sun was trying to pry him into getting up. Finally, Cloud sat up and rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes and yawned once more.

Now fully awake, Cloud glanced at the flowers next to him. They seemed to smile at him when he awoke, brightening his first few minutes into the day. Smiling, Cloud yawned again before pulling himself up and stare at the blanket. He didn't remember bringing one with him last night, for he was staying up late reading and thinking. The blond didn't mean to fall asleep in the church, since he lived in Aerith's spare room in her house.

_I guess she must have gotten worried and brought me a blanket when I was asleep. _Cloud thought with a nod to himself.

With his stomach growling, Cloud stepped out of the church and turned right a few houses down to Aerith's house. He could smell breakfast from the kitchen window, and it smelled delicous. Cloud walked through the door and announced he was awake.

"Oh, hey sleepy head! I was going to wake you up in a few, guess I don't have now." Aerith welcomed him, smiling her sweet smile.

Cloud smiled back. "Well, the sun did the job for you."

"Ha ha ha. That's what happens when you sleep next to the flowers." the girl laughed heartedly.

"Yea, it'll remind me next time not to fall asleep there." the blond sat down in a chair.

"Breakfast will be ready in about two minues." Aerith informed, returning her attention to the eggs and bacon.

"Ok."

A few minutes later Aerith presented Cloud with breakfast, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and two pieces of toast. Cloud immediately started eating, loving how the taste was so similiar to Silvia's, he felt like he was back in Nibelheim. He imagined he was, Silvia's warm smile as they sat around the table. Abby happily nibbling on toast and her scrambled eggs, while Michael ate in a sloppy way, earning some scolding from his mom. Gabriel ate more politely, swallowing his food before speaking.

Cloud missed them, but he still had the paper crane Abby made for him, and he had Aerith's cooking to help ease his home sickness. He didn't know what he would do when he was to be recruited, but apparently there was so much training to do he won't need to worry about it. Cloud hoped that was the case, and he knew for a fact Zack was going to be very helpful when it came down to make the days not so boring.

Aerith watched Cloud eat with a smile. The blond had that look, that look he always had whenever he ate her food. She didn't press on it, but she thought it was probably the taste of home made food that reminded him of his adoptive mother. And with a plus, Aerith was always glad to help, even if it meant making breakfast for her friend every morning. At least she was helping, when ever she helped somone Aerith felt like she did something important. Even if she was doing the smallest of favors.

"So, what would you like to do today? I'm getting bored of reading." Cloud asked when he was done.

"Hm...how about we go shopping? Afterwards we could sell flowers. We haven't sold one in a while." Aerith suggested.

"Sure. What are we shopping for?" the blond tilted his head.

"Hm...not sure. I just feel like shopping." Aerith shrugged.

"All right then. Let's go." Cloud smiled, standing up to follow her.

Aerith smiled back, before leading the way to the Slums Market, carrying a basket. Cloud followed behind, wondering just what she had in mind. After all, Aerith will only spend money on something that was needed. Occasionally she'll allow him to buy books, but that was limited to two books every other time they went shopping. Yesterday was the last time he got a new book. Then this could mean she wanted something, or maybe a gift? Cloud weighed his options, and he decided to just tag along and see what she finds.

When they reached the small market, Aerith explored the tiny gift store. Cloud blinked and stared. Last he checked, the gifts in this shop was expensive, and this was the nearest one for a good two miles around. Now realizing Aerith was just going through a girl shopping phase, Cloud decided to take a look around the rest of the market.

As soonn as Cloud was gone, Aerith quickly glanced at every gift she could. She wanted to give something for Cloud, a sort of friendship gift. After all, Zack bought her the pink ribbon, Aerith felt she should find something for Cloud. And she knew just the gift to give.

Meanwhile, Cloud was at the other end of the market to look at any potential good books. Then he had the prickly feeling on the back of his neck, the feeling of being watched. Cloud blinked and glanced around. For some odd reason, the feeling wasn't that of someone stalking him. The prying eyes felt safe, and observent somehow.

Cloud sighed, taking a good mental picture of his surroundings to think of a good hiding place for a view of himself. He found one place, and he headed to his left and rounded a corner to find the man in a black suit from his first day in Midgar. Cloud stared, unsure what to make of him.

"You...?"

The man smiled nervously.

"Well I was wondering if it was Zack, but he would give himself away before I knew I was being watched." Cloud shrugged.

"That would be Zack. He's smart in battle, but a little out of it outside of the field." the other agreed.

Cloud knew it, he had a feeling this man was from Shinra. But he wasn't a soldier, the suit was too formal.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I am a Turk, and I work in Shinra, as you may have already figured out." he explained.

The blond nodded. "Right."

"And the name's Tseng." the Turk added, quick noticing the confused and slightly frightened expression.

"Strife. Cloud Strife. I think you already know my first name already." Cloud shrugged.

"Yes, so I hear you're applying for SOLDIER?" Tseng asked.

"I hope I can make it, to Zack's level at least." the blond nodded.

"Hm. Is that a hope or a dream?" the Turk smiled, it was a curious smile, and it held a small amount of warmth that was unusual coming from one in his position.

Cloud thought for a moment. "I hope. My dream is of something...that is impossible to obtain."

"Even dreams come true, they just take time and patience. I've learned it the hard way." Tseng encouraged.

"Well...you sought achievement? Or maybe something like, achievement and a bit more freedom?" the blond tilted his head, trying to change the subject.

Tseng blinked, clearly not exptecting such a guess closest to the truth.

"Yes, something like that."

"And you got it."

"More like worked every hour to achieve it, but it was worth it."

"Well, I have two. Two dreams. Right now though...one of them seems to be on my mind more often." Cloud blushed, averting his gaze.

"Ah. I presume it's one of the reasons you're going into the SOLDIER program? After all, you said you hoped to achieve Zack's rank." Tseng smiled.

"Yea....something like that." Cloud rubbed the back of his head.

"I would be glad to help, but I can only do that if you were going to be a Turk. But no worries, I believe Zack would be one to help."

"He already is, or he's trying." the blond laughed nervously.

"Let me guess, energetic and over excited to get the plan started?"

"Yup."

Both laughed a little, Tseng shaking his head as he thought of Zack's predictable influence.

"I'd better get going, Aerith might be over with her shopping phase." Cloud said, turning to leave.

"Right. I'd better get back to my office. See you in the recruiting." Tseng rounded a corner, and was gone before Cloud could ask what he meant.

"Cloud! Hey, you ready to go sell flowers? I'm done shopping." Aerith called to him, happily making her way to his side.

She seemed a little more happy than usual. But Cloud nodded anyway, smiling as they headed to the church to gather fresh flowers. As they walked, Cloud took one last glance at the corner he had his conversation with the Turk. There was something odd about him, but at the same time Cloud had a feeling Tseng wasn't dangerous. The Turk was probably exploring a bit of his curiosity over something, and he had the familiar aura that reminded Cloud of the flower girl.

Besides, now Cloud had to figure out the mystery as to why Aerith seemed happier out of the blue.

* * *

Shado: Ah, sorry for making you guys wait a bit. I love the reviews, and makes me feel happy for this story. The reviews are really appreciated right now, just so long it's nothing flamed. That would be the last straw to hell.

Review plz!

* * *


	6. Short Glimpse

* * *

Shado: Sorry for taking a bit to update, as you all know school is tiring. But I should finish up most of my stories before next year, cuz being a senior is gonna be chaotic to say the least. T.T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 6 **Short Glimpse

* * *

Cloud was nervous. To say the least the blond's been tense since he was picked up in the recruits train to Shinra. He was the shortest among the other recruits, and by far attracted the most attention because of his blond hair and blue eyes. Apparently such fair traits are rare in the whole world, for everyone else had either dark brown to black hair, and a few red heads but they could easily pass as light brown.

Some stared at the rare sight before them with a look Cloud did not like, while others watched in pity of the boy's tense and shaking body. But even they couldn't give much pity to the blond, everyone was nervous. You could smell it in the air, trapped inside the train where the windows can't open to relieve the new recruits from the suffocation. And the smell didn't help poor Cloud either. In fact the stench made him such a nervous wreck he was practically going to loose it.

That was until the recruit next to him decided to help the poor blond.

"Hey, it's just the trip. And besides, you're not alone here." the brunette gently patted Cloud's shoulder.

"Th-thanks." the blond nodded, still staring at the floor.

"No prob. Oh, and the name's Brandon." the recruit held out his hand in a kind gesture.

"Cloud." the blond shook the other's hand.

"Well Cloud, let's work together and hope for the best at the end of the year." Brandon smiled, reminding Cloud of Zack's casual grin.

"Sure." Cloud smiled back, easing himself from his nervous state.

"Oi, how come you're bringing a bag? Everyone else don't have anything much to bring to Shinra." a recruit asked who sat across from Cloud.

"A few of my books and a scarf my friend gave me." the blond replied, not sure what he meant by 'anything much' for his bag was small.

"A scarf? In the summer?" Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"For winter." Cloud said, thinking back on when he recieved the gift.

_Flashback_

_Cloud was preparing himself for the next day. He used his share of the money he earned with selling flowers and bought himself a shoulder bag, big enough to carry a few of his beloved books. One of them, he made sure to add_ Children of the Divine One_, just in case he found other information of the youngest child._

_Just when he was about done, Aerith came in with a smile. She held a box wrapped in blue paper with a darker blue ribbon tied in a bow on top. At first Cloud thought it was an early Chirstmas present, but that was many months away from now._

_"I got you a friendship present. We may be in the same city, but I know you might not be able to see me too often being a recruit and all. So I thought, why not give you something to represent our friendship? So I got something that I hope you'd like." Aerith said, a hopeful and cheerful smile._

_"Th-thank you, I really appreciate it...but I didn't give you one..." Cloud frowned a little, but takes the box._

_"I don't mind, silly. You could give me one sometime later, when you get the time. I just wanted to give this to you before you get recruited." the flower girl laughed lightly._

_Now smiling, Cloud untied the ribbon and ripped off the wrapping paper. The blond gently opened the box, to reveal a baby blue scarf. He picked it up, and his face lit up like a kid eyeing a piece of candy. At one end of the scarf was a sleeping chibi chocobo on a fluffy cloud. Oh yes, the scarf described him perfectly._

_"I love it! It's cute too." Cloud beamed with a wide grin._

_"I knew you'd love it!" Aerith clapped her hands with glee._

_"Thank you, I'll take good care of it." the blond stood up. "And, I'll make it up to you. I promise."_

_"I'll hold you to that promise." the flower girl said._

_"Now, what's for dinner?" Cloud teased with a chuckle._

_"Oh you!" Aerith lightly smacked his shoulder._

_They both laughed while Aerith headed downstairs to the kitchen while Cloud set the scarf into his bag._

_End of Flashback_

"Cloud? Oi, you've been staring off into space with this dream look." Brandon waved his hand in front of the blond's vision.

"Oh sorry, I was thinking about someone." Cloud nervously smiled, scratching the back of his head.

"Is it a girl?" the brunette scooted closer with a a smirk.

"She's just a friend." the blond said.

"Oh really?" Brandon pressed.

"Yes really."

"Is she cute?"

"I think she's seeing someone." Cloud lied, he didn't feel like he could trust Brandon with Aerith.

"Darn. The closest I get to meeting a cute girl and she's taken." the brunette slumped his shoulders as if he was giving into defeat.

"Sorry. I feel your pain." Cloud lightly patted Brandon's shoulder.

"Yea...oh well, there's more girls out there. Ya just gotta meet the right one." Brandon sat up straight, his definate smile back.

Cloud just nodded. He wasn't sure if joining Shinra was going to be worth it now.

* * *

It was now after the ceremony of the new recruits. Everyone had recieved two pairs of uniforms of their size, and a piece of paper where their dormroom was. Cloud's room was just down the hall to the door that lead to the roof of the recruits building. This excited him, for he loved to watch the sunset. He loved to watch it when he was traveling to Midgar, and since he reached the city he didn't see the sun go down too much. But now he got the chance, and better it was on top of a roof.

If only he didn't have room mates. That was the only downside, and even worse was that they're all guys. Which meant that the whole place would be trashed and Cloud would have to put up with cleaning everything up everyday, and ignore the strange glances at him. When Cloud entered his dormroom, he felt slightly better when he saw Brandon putting up posters of a First Class with long silver hair, black leather trench coat that showed off part of his chest, and sharp icy green eyes.

"Oh, hey Cloud! We're room mates! The other two haven't arrived yet, so I guess it's just you an' me for now." Brandon waved, stepping down from the stool.

"Guess so." the blond shrugged.

"Wanna share this side of the dorm? I don't know who the other two are and well, you're about the only person I know." the brunette gestured to the side he had his posters up and the two beds in the other room.

"Sure, it was awkward enough back on the train." Cloud nodded, setting his bag next to one of the beds.

"Now _that _was awkward."

"So, what should we do now?" the blond asked as he sat down in a chair.

"I don't know. I was thinking of having a good look around after we meet the other two room mates. What do you think?"

"That sounds good, we need to know the way around here better." Cloud agreed.

"Hey boys! Looks like I'm in the right room. The name's Karl." a tall young man walked in.

Karl had broad shoulders, and a military hair cut on the top of his head. The tall man was well built, and very huge feet. Cloud couldn't help but feel how puny he was compared to this man, and he was just barely over five feet while Karl looked six foot nine.

"Holy Mother of Shiva..." Brandon stared.

"I get that alot. Who are you?" Karl glanced at the smaller two room mates.

"I'm Brandon, and the blond is Cloud." Brandon introduced once he got over his initial shock.

"Cloud? That's an odd name." the tall man stared at the blond. "Kinda suits ya though..."

"I get that alot." Cloud scratched the back of his head.

"Anyone know who's tha fourth room mate?" Karl asked.

"Negative." Brandon shrugged.

"Well, I'll be settin' my stuff ova there. Since you two already paired up an' all." Karl set his bag on one of the beds in the other side of the room.

Brandon took out another poster and unfolded it. Cloud watched in curiosity, for the back of the poster was facing him and he couldn't see what the poster was. The brunette seemed to be glancing around the walls, trying to find a spot that his other posters of that silver haired soldier hadn't taken up. There was one, on the right side of Cloud's bed. Brandon dragged the stool and put a few tacks into his pockets.

Cloud tilted his head when he saw part of a red uniform that looked oddly familiar. Now that Brandon was standing in the way of the face, the blond couldn't get a good look at who the poster showed off. When Brandon was finally done he stepped down and smiled, hands on his hips. Cloud's heart pounded at the handsome face of Genesis with a soft smile praising his features.

_Oh dear Mother of Shiva! How can I get through all of this without having an emotional breakdown!? _Cloud asked himself, trying to swallow the huge lump down his throat.

"You ok? You look like you're about to die or something." Brandon asked with a worried expression.

"Yea...I'm fine." Cloud turned away from the poster, trying to control his heart rate.

Brandon tilted his head, staring at the blond before glancing at the poster. He put two and two together, and smiled. No wonder Cloud tried to avoid any conversations about cute people on the train. The brunette had asked the rest of the way who Cloud thought was cute in Midgar. Everytime the blond would just shrug and say 'everyone is beautiful in their own special way'.

"I see. You've got your eye on the commander, right?" Brandon asked politely, sitting next to the blond.

Cloud turned his head, trying to hide his blush.

"Aw, that's so cute! You don't have to keep that away, I'm supportive of any kind of pairing!" the brunette hung his arm around Cloud's shoulder.

"He's seekin' someone out in first class ain't he?" Karl's voice made Cloud jump.

The blond didn't know the tall man was listening into his conversation with his new found friend.

"Yea, he's seeking someone. It ain't the general though." Brandon pointed to one of the posters of the silver haired soldier.

"Th-that's Sephiroth?"

"You mean ya never seen him?" Karl sounded amazed, as he stood next to Cloud's bed.

"I heard of him...I didn't know what he looked like..." the blond said, feeling greatly intimidated by the lover of his crush.

"Where did you come from?" Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"Nibelheim."

"That explains things. Towns all the way North such as Nibelheim only hear of Sephiroth. Very rarely they get to find a poster of him." the brunette said.

Then another figure came in, a few inches taller than Cloud. And the exact opposite too. The stranger had black hair, very pale skin, and wore all black as he carried his two pairs of uniforms in his thin arms. His eyes were a bright yellow, almost golden in color. His appearance was so shocking, the other three couldn't find any words for him.

"I don't think I'll be a good room mate when I could squash him in my sleep." Karl finally said.

"That is true." the stranger nodded.

"I guess I can switch with Karl...Brandon already has his posters up." Cloud stood up, grabbing his bag. It was an excuse to be away from the Genesis poster.

"Lucky you I got halfway done unpakin'." the tall recruit gathered up his stuff and set it on Cloud's previous bed.

The stranger followed the blond and set his uniforms on the other bed that Cloud didn't occupy.

"I'm Cloud, the brunette is Brandon and the tall one is Karl." the blond tried to smile politely.

"Ryu. The name's Ryu Fuji."

Cloud nodded before glancing at Brandon. "You still up for exploring the building?"

"We'll walk around tomorrow. It's getting dark, and I'm hungry." Brandon's stomach growled.

"Well if that's hunger, then I don't know what is." Karl commented.

Light laughter spreaded throughout the room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, everyone was close to having a nervous breakdown that was worse than the day before. It was the first day of classes, and everyone hoped to get that one teacher that would at least be a little conservative on their teaching methods. Lucky for Cloud and somehow his other three room mates, they're teacher happened to be First Class Lt. Zack Fair. Apparently the nicest of the first class soldiers compared to the others.

Zack wandered in, chin held high, and his casual grin that lightened the atmosphere. Almost everyone, besides Ryu, relaxed. Cloud was the most relaxed out of the whole class. The first class soldier stopped in front of Cloud, his grin faded away.

"So you wanna make it in SOLDIER? Hang in there."

Cloud nodded.

Zack's smile came back, as he now stood in front of the class.

"All right cadets, from now on you're going to be trained hard. Harder than any of you have ever known, but you know what? We're gonna tackle your training, and say 'Give it ya best shot'. And when it's time to test you in where you fit in SOLDIER, you're gonna give your best shot. Why?"

The cadets glanced at each other, unsure how to answer.

"Because under my training, you will learn everything about honor, and to protect your SOLDIER honor. No matter what, as long as you got your honor, your dreams, and friends to help you out, you guys are gonna get a better chance in getting into SOLDIER. What do you say?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And cut the 'sir'-shit, it may be my first year teaching but you guys can just call me Zack." the teacher crossed his arms.

"Yes, Zack!" the cadets chanted.

Cloud was so into Zack's speach, he almost didn't catch a figure with silver hair standing just outside the classroom, staring at him through the huge glass windows. When something moved from the corner of his eye, the blond carefully glanced to his right. Cloud's heart stopped, and he quickly turned his attention back at Zack.

* * *

Sephiroth was doing his usual business checking in on the classes of the new cadets like he did every year. On the first day he walks by to glance through the windows to make sure the teachers were doing what they were supposed to, and to spot any potential cadets for to take in. Even though Sephiroth doesn't train any cadets, he suggests some to other first class soldiers like he did when he found Zack. Seeing the hyper active puppy the general knew that somehow Zack would be a good soldier. So naturally, Sephiroth suggested Zack to be taken under Angeal's wing.

The match up worked wonders. Angeal became, well, his old self that Sephiroth knew when they were younger. No longer was Angeal depressed and distant, now he was happy and had something to live for. And that something was Zack. Somewhere along the way they fell in love, and made the perfect couple.

If only Sephiroth and Genesis weren't having dreams of a blond stranger, then maybe they'd be doing better in their relationship. Of course, Angeal politely asked if either of them met this mysterious blond stranger, but no such memory of meeting the adorable boy anywhere. Zack acted like it was normal, so the general felt like there was something the young pup was hiding. So Sephiroth decided to check on the puppy's class earlier than he had planned.

He found the right classroom, and glanced inside. Well, everyone looked normal, and no sign of Zack Clones. Then just when the general was about to leave, something caught his eye. Something blond. Sephiroth turned and stared, quickly finding the blond hair among the dark colors of hair on the taller cadets heads. Cat-like green eyes studied the features, checking off the list he mentally made of the one in his dreams.

Blond spikey hair of a chocobo.

Check.

Short and slim, with the perfect shade of pale skin that didn't look sickly.

Check.

Adorable face with a hint of baby cheeks.

Check.

Deep, sky blue eyes that drew you in.

Sephiroth took a step to his left, and the blond carefully glanced over. The general held his breath.

_Check_.

This cadet was the one that haunted in his and Genesis' dreams. And now that the general finally found him, Sephiroth quickly made his way to his office. The general took out his phone and speed dialed his boyfriend's number.

"Call so early? You must really want-"

"Genesis. I found him. I found the blond, he's a new recruited cadet. And guess what? A certain _puppy _has been hiding him from us." Sephiroth smirked.

"Ooooh, what's the cadet's name?" the commander purred.

The general stopped, shivering and he had to prevent himself from groaning out loud.

"I made you shiver didn't I?" you could practically hear Genesis smirking.

"Just meet me in my office." Sephiroth growled, flipping his phone before his boyfriend could reply.

Meanwhile Genesis chuckled, putting his phone in his pocket and quickly made his way to the general's office. Finally, after much suffering with the dreams, they finally found the blond.

Now for a name.

* * *

Shado: there ya go! Cloud's finally in Shinra, and you find out what gift Aerith gave him, and Sephiroth finally caught glimpse of his mystery blond! What's gonna happen next? Ne? Ne? Ne? NE??? It'll be either:

A) HOT, AWESOME, HOT THREESOME MANSEX

B) Seph n Gen go at it in the office while thinking of Cloud

C) Seph plots to kill Zack cuz he didn't mention he knew a certain blond

...If you said "NEXT WILL BE HOT, AWESOME, HOT THREESOME MANSEX!!!!" then you're entirely wrong. XDDD

...Please don't kill me. If you do then there won't be hot, awesome, hot threesome mansex. D:

Review Plz!

* * *


	7. First of Many Mistakes

Shado: The reviews are awesome! You guys made me so happy I decided to update earlier than I had planned.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 7 **First of Many Mistakes

* * *

Sephiroth stormed into his office, quickly stashing through his piles of paperwork of the recruits and their schedules. He quickly scanned for Zack's recruits record, and the general found it at the middle of a tall pile he himself set up to go through one by one. Now the pile was scattered on the floor, as Sephiroth flipped through the pages to find the picture of the blond they took the day before before the ceremony.

Within seconds the general found the picture, and soaked in all the information the paper could give. Cloud Strife, age 16, born in Nibelheim and as of right now nothing else known about the cadet other than he was adopted as a newborn baby to Silvia Strife. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the lack of information on Strife, for there was just something about the cadet that made the general suspicious yet curious at the same time.

"Found out who our _fuckable _as well as andadorable blond is?" a familiar voice purred.

"Genesis, how many times have I told you about-"

"Cursing yada yada yada, it makes your mouth all dirty yada yada yada." the commander interruped with a smirk, slowly making his way to the general's side.

"Close enough." Sephiroth said, handing the file to his boyfriend.

"Cloud Strife? Mmm...intriguing name." Genesis stared at the picture.

"Notice how there's not much information about him. I'm surprised the director let him into Shinra, having so little information in his profile it would have made anyone else suspicious." the general pointed out as he crossed his arms.

"Huh...now isn't that odd. It says here he was recommended by Zack Fair to be in Shinra, and Tseng of the Turks filed a recommendation for Cloud." Genesis tilted his head with a small frown.

"Where did you find that information?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"On the next page."

"How...convienient. Now there's two persons who hid Cloud form us." the general leaned against his desk.

"Tseng's been in your meetings?"

"He's the head Turk, Genesis. And he's noticed my distraught with these dreams. Angeal was kind enough to fill him in without me making a fool of myself during the meetings." Sephiroth explained.

"How did Angeal pull that off?" the commander sat down, still staring at the blond's picture.

"Passing notes as if they were passing information of cadets fit for SOLDIER or Turk programs."

Genesis smiled. "Now isn't that a handy way to talk without the need to use your mouth."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Now that we're alone...and we _are _in our favorite place..." the commander purred, who now had Sephiroth trapped between him and the desk.

"You just want to get laid because we haven't done it since the day before you sat in the middle of a fountain in a drunken stupor." Sephiroth growled, doing his best to keep his self control.

"Oh _darnling _how in the world did you guess?" Genesis smirked, giving the general's pale neck butterfly kisses.

"_Genesis_..." Sephiroth hissed, biting his lower lip to prevent a moan that creeped up his throat.

Said commander purred, nuzzling and licking one of the general's sensitive spot on his neck. Clenching his teeth, Sephiroth held onto what little control he had left but was in vain when his boyfriend started to use his favorite trick in the book. Talking in a seducing manner that always brought the general to crumble and roughly take his waiting commander.

"Come now, darling, you and I both know that you want it. It's been almost three weeks, love. Don't you want to pound into Cloud like you do to me, while I suck him off? Ne, Sephiroth? Make him scream like you make me, make him cum into my mouth, don't you want that?" Genesis tilted his head with a devious smirk, eyes narrowed with lust.

_That _damn smirk did it. Sephiroth growled and pushed his commander harshly against the bookshelf to his left to press their bodies as close and as hard as possible. Genesis groaned, not minding the rough treatmen and the pain on the back of his head from slamming against a shelf. Sephiroth held his boyfriend's wrists and trapped them above the commander's head with a vipor like grip.

"Yes, _darling_, I do want to make Cloud scream while he cums into your mouth. I do wish to pound into him, as roughly as I do to you, but first I will have to teach you what that dirty mouth of yours is supposed to be used for." Sephiroth growled, a devious smirk of his own graced his face.

"Like what, general?" Genesis innocently asked.

"_Screaming my name while I fuck you senseless to the point you can't walk._" Sephiroth hissed into his boyfriend's ear.

Genesis shivered, trying to repress a moan but it turned into a deep, low purr that quickly turned into a yelp when the general bit his neck. Sephiroth bit where he always marked the commander, and he didn't hold back to the biting. Genesis thrashed his arms in an attempt to free his wrists, but the hand that held them captive gripped tighter to the point he might loose circulation. The general continued to bite, now thrusting his hips against Genesis' groin.

"Nn...nah!" the commander arched his back, spreading his legs to partly wrap his thighs around the other's slim waist.

It was an awkward position, but it proved how flexible Genesis was. His back was arched to help his balance, while his legs were bent at an angle as he stood on his tipy toes while his thighs held onto Sephiroth'ships like a koala baby hanging onto it's mother for dear life. Sephiroth groaned, pulling away from his place on the commander's neck to watch the pleasurable expressions his boyfriend showed.

The commander's eyes were closed almost relaxed, his mouth a gap to set free soft gasps and grunts. Now and then Genesis made Sephiroth's favorite sounds, whimpers and mewls that made him shiver. Sephiroth roughly picked up the pace with his thrusts, even though they were still clothed he wanted to make the commander beg. Which wouldn't be too long now.

"Nnah! S-Seph!" Genesis bit his lip to stop himself from begging.

The general's green eyes glowed in anticipation, he loved to play the hard to get games almost just as much as sex. It always made the sex more fun, and more enjoyable for the both of them. Sephiroth hoped that Cloud would enjoy the hard to get game as much as he did, first he and Genesis would just tease Cloud until he begged.

"What do you say...when Cloud is...ngh...in the relationship, we take it...slow...just tease him, until he's ready..." Sephiroth panted, slowing down a little so that Genesis could hear from all the ramming his back made against the bookshelves.

The commander opened his light blue eyes to stare at Sephiroth. This was a change, when they started their relationship they went right to sex. Neither minded, and it was their style so long as they loved each other and knew it. But now with Cloud, hopefully going to be into the picture, there would be changes. But Sephiroth was willing to make the changes, Genesis could see it in those green eyes.

"Hmmm...I enjoy teasing." Genesis smiled.

Sephiroth leaned in to join their lips, sealing the deal. Both groaned, turning he sweet kiss into a deeper one that they needed so dearly. Their tongues battled for dominance, giving a good fight against the other. Just when Sephiroth was about to win, the phone rang. At first the general ignored it, but when it didn't go to the answer machine. Sephiroth growled and picked it up leaving a whimpering Genesis leaning against the bookshelf.

"What?!"

"General, there has been a noise complaint. A cadet who was sent to your office heard commotion and ran to me like a scared kitten. I had to send him to his dorm early, while giving him a dose of drugs that calmed his system. What do you have to say about this, general?" Director Lazard asked in the serious tone that almost intimidated Sephiroth.

_Almost_.

"I apologize for frightening the cadet, as well as making him so unstable to be sent to the dorm. I was...releasing some tension that was built up between me and Genesis over the past few weeks." the general explained.

"Don't let it happen again. Oh, and now that you're not latched onto Commander Rhapsodos, why don't you write up an apology for the cadet?" it wasn't a suggestion, it was an order.

Director Lazard never gave a direct order to Sephiroth in an angry tone unless the general got himself into trouble.

"Very well. What's the cadet's name?"

"Ryu Fuji. He was supposed to give you a message that Commander Hewley needs to see you. Good day, general."

Sephiroth set the phone down with a small frown. "Well, that certainly ruined the mood."

"At least finish me off! I don't think I can walk around with a bulge and a limp." Genesis glared, now sexually frustrated.

"I'll have to make it quick, just let me write down this cadet's name first." the general said, quickly writing down the name on the corner of his calender on his desk.

After writing the name, Sephiroth swiftly made his way to his boyfriend and began to take off the commander's clothes. At least the boots, the leather pants, the vest, and somehow kept the red trench coat untouched on Genesis. It was the only attire Sephiroth would purposely leave alone when it was a quick session. Somehow the red leather coat made things a little more exciting, and it was fun watching Genesis struggling to put his clothes back on.

"Take me...please..." Genesis gasped.

"Tonight, love. Right now I'm relieving you for things to come." the general whispered, taking one of the nubs into his mouth.

The commander hissed, arching his back while his hands gripped onto Sephiroth's upper arms. Sephiroth swirled his tongue around the nub, hardening it and then bit down. Genesis half screamed, half whimpered in delight. Soon the general did the same treatment to the other one, earning the same reaction. After a few minutes, Sephiroth pulled away to kneel, mouth a gap and breathed onto the commander's shaft.

"S-Sephiroth! Damn it! Please! Take me in!" Genesis begged, not realizing he hit the back of his head against the shelf behind him from his frustration.

Smirking in victory, Sephiroth did as he was told. First he licked the tip, enjoying the shiver that rippled over the commander's body. A second later the general took all of Genesis into his mouth, groaning as he gently bit on the hard flesh. The commander half purred, half moaned, gripping one of the shelves with both hands. Sephiroth sucked hard, humming when he tasted the sweet taste of pre-cum.

"Nn...Seph..." Genesis moaned, gently starting thrusting his hips into the hot mouth.

Sephiroth moaned in encouragement, moving his head back and forth to set a rythem. The general was so relaxed whenever he had Genesis' shaft chaptive in his mouth that he never had a gag relfex as Genesis thrusted into his mouth. Genesis moaned, getting close to his climax. Sephiroth raked his teeth across the hard shaft, now finally making the commander scream.

"Sephiroth!" Genesis writhed.

The commander held the tip captive, biting down roughly, yet gently enough to make sure it stayed there. Genesis stopped his hips and screamed blissfully to the heavens and came into the general's awaiting mouth. Sephiroth swallowed all of the commander's sweet, sweet saltiness with a sigh. Then, slowly and almost reluctantly he let go of the limp shaft and stood up.

Genesis leaned against the bookshelf, panting to catch his breath while he shivered from the aftershock. Sephiroth gently pulled the commander into his arms, carrying him to the couch on the other side of the room and set Genesis down.

"Stay here love, I'm going to get going with the orders the director gave me." the general said, gently kissing Genesis on the forehead.

"Hmm..." Genesis hummed, leaning up to give Sephiroth a quick kiss on the lips.

Sephiroth happily kissed back. A few minutes they stayed there, until the general pulled away when Genesis shivered from the cold. Sephiroth's office always had the AC on, so it was cold on even the hottest of days, and it was still chilly in the winter. Sephiroth was used to it, but Genesis prefered warmer temperatures. So the general pulled off his leather trench coat and covered Genesis like a blanket.

"If I didn't know better...I'd say you were born in the North Continent." the commander said.

"I guess I could have. You can stay there as long as you can." Sephiroth shrugged, putting on a new trench coat from the closet next to the bookshelves they rattled earlier.

"That was a closet?"

"I did have to spend time here." the general chuckled, sitting down to quickly write his apology letter.

"Send my regards to the poor, unfortunate cadet." Genesis said, waving weakly as Sephiroth walked out the door.

"I doubt he'll like it." Sephiroth chuckled.

Genesis smiled.

* * *

"Oi, Cloud! We got a heads up dat Ryu was sent to the dorm 'cuz of a nervous breakdown. The director said dat one of us should go an' keep him company." Karl told the blond, while they were about to sit down for lunch.

It was a hard day so far. Cloud learned that he was recommended for both SOLDIER, and Turk programs. So he ended up having different classes and as of now, he didn't know which one he wanted to be now. Being a Turk, gives you a little more freedom than SOLDIER, and you get a higher pay raise. But then if he went along with the SOLDIER program, then he would train under a first class, most likely Zack.

And throughout the day, Cloud couldn't get the general out of his head. Why did Sephiroth come by his first class? The blond knew that the general drops by classes to check on the progress of the cadets, but he was sure that Sephiroth was most reluctant to check on Zack's classes for fear of 'Zack Clones'. Or that's what Zack said.

"Well, what does Brandon say about this?" Cloud asked.

"He didn't want ta." Karl answsered.

Cloud sighed. "I'll go then."

"I'll make sure to tell Lt. Zack." the big recruit nodded.

The blond quickly finished half of his food, before storing the rest for Ryu. He was sure the room mate was hungry after being cooped up in the dorm for a few hours. And Cloud made his way to his dorm, taking note that maybe he should have worn his helmet along the way. But no matter, Cloud was more than halfway to his room. When Cloud opened the door, he saw Ryu on his bed looking slightly agitated. Quietly and cautiously the blond made his way to the other cadet.

"Are you all right? I brought food from the lunch room." Cloud offered the foamed case of the other half of the food.

"Thank you. I was getting hungry." Ryu said, taking the food and began eating with the spare fork.

"They sent me to keep you company so you won't be so bored. And, it gives me a break from running from one building to the other for my classes. I was recommended for both SOLDIER and Turk." Cloud explained.

"Wow. That sucks. After Zack's class, I was to be in Commander Hewley's class for basic self defense. He couldn't get a hold on General Sephiroth so he sent me to give him a message. Well...when I got to his office...I heard noises...I ran to Director Lazard and he gave me something that calmed my nerves and sent me to the dorm. I've been here since." Ryu said, now almost done with the food.

Noises? Cloud instantly thought of a situation where Sephiroth and Genesis alone, and going at it. The blond shivered, quickly pushing those thoughts out of his head. When the paler cadet was done with his lunch, Ryu stood up and threw the food case into the trach can.

As soon as Ryu sat down again, someone knocked on the door. It was a soft knock, yet they heard it. Cloud stood up and went to the door. When the blond opened the door his heart stopped the second time that day.

"G-General...sir." Cloud tensed.

The general blinked, clearly surprised to see the blond who he eyed earlier in the day. This was a shock to everyone, even Ryu got up and backed into a corner like a frightened animal that was cornered with his body shaking in fear.

"At ease, cadets. I only came to drop off an apology letter to Cadet Fuji." Sephiroth calmly explained when he regained his composure.

Cloud bit his lower lip, casting a glance at the other cadet, who looked like he was about to faint from shock.

"I-I'm Fuji...s-sir." the blond blushed a little, averting his gaze to the floor.

The general was, again surprised, but didn't question the cover up. He could smell the fright from the real Ryu Fuji, and if he made one step into the dorm then the cadet would surely faint. That was something Sephiroth didn't want. So he went along with Cloud and gave him the letter written in his handwriting. Usually the general never gave anything written by his own hand to cadets for he had enough of the stares of fear and admiration.

Cloud accepted the letter with a nod. "Th-thank you, sir."

"Please, cadet, it's Sephiroth." the general smiled slightly.

There was something in that smile, it was a knowing smile. The blond knew that Sephiroth saw right through his cover up, and it wouldn't surprise him if the general knew his name. Cloud turned his head away a little to hide his deeper blush, even though the general was taking in the adorable sight. The blond could just see it in those gleaming eyes.

"I'll be off now, I have a meeting with Commander Hewley. See you sometime later in the year, Fuji, Strife." Sephiroth smirked and turned away, closing the door as he went.

Cloud almost lost his balance, the general knew his name. _The general knew his name_. The blond staggered, and it took a few moments to realize that Ryu was holding him up trying to get him out of his shocked gaze. It seemed that Sephiroth had this aura that made any cadet have a nervous breakdown.

"I didn't faint...did I?" Cloud asked.

"No, and be glad you didn't. Or else I would have dropped you. I'm not that strong to begin with." Ryu said, helping the blond walk to the bed.

"Oh my god...he...he knows my name...I have a crush on his boyfriend...he knows my name...now I don't know what to do..." Cloud muttered, laying down on his bed, clutching the letter.

"You can keep that. I'm not going to read a word of it. And as for your situation, I don't know what to say." the pale cadet rubbed his room mate's back gently.

"Well...I do feel flattered..." Cloud glanced at the letter, but something was odd. The envelope was thicker than it shoudl be.

The blond turned the letter to the side, and realized that there was two envelopes. Taking them apart, Cloud examined the second envelope that somehow got stuck under the letter for Ryu. He found a name in the front, which made him tilt his head in confusion.

The name read Genesis Rhapsodos.

* * *

Sephiroth smirked as he made his way to Angeal's office. He saw the shocked face of Cloud when he said his last name, and it gave him hope that the blond was indeed, feeling some attraction to him. If that blush on Cloud's adorable face was any indication. The general was halfway through to reaching Angeal's office, when he almost ran into his friend himself when Sephiroth walked around the corner.

"Easy there, Sephiroth." Angeal chuckled as a small smile adorned his features.

"I was on my way to your office. You wanted to speak to me?" the general casually asked.

"Zack told me that you stopped by his class today. He couldn't help but notice you were eyeing one of his cadets, Cloud Strife?" the commander crossed his arms.

"I remember." Sephiroth nodded. _What's this all about? Zack was facing the other way when I secretly inspected his class. _

"I'm afraid I have to ask you not to pursue the cadet. He-"

"What do you mean, 'ask me not to pursue the cadet'?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"I was getting to that. You see, he's under the Turk supervision. And they don't want any interferance from you or Genesis." Angeal explained, partially lying.

"Why? I'm above the Head Turk when it comes down to cadets applying for SOLDIER-"

"Cadet Strife is also having classes for the Turks. I'm sure you're aware of that, so technically he's not exactly a full cadet for the SOLDIER program as of yet. That only depends which path he chooses to follow." the commmander interrupted.

"What the hell are the Turks up to then? Why are they investigating Cadet Strife when _technically _he originally applied for SOLDIER, _then _Tseng of the Turks recommended him for the Turk program!" Sephiroth growled, growing more and more irritated.

"I'm sorry, Sephiroth, I wish I could help but you can't see the cadet." Angeal shrugged.

The general glared for a few moments. "You're lying. If the damn Turks were investigation Cadet Strife, then Tseng would have called _me_ to _his_ office instead of making a commander break the news of the cadet."

"I don't lie to you, never have and never will." Angeal stood his ground, his arms at his sides trying not to show his growing anxiety.

"You're lying! Now tell me what the hell is going on, or so help me I'll-" Sephiroth paused.

"You'll what? Send me to my death from the window?" the commander raised an eyebrow.

The general sighed. "Just tell me, what is going on."

"I can't do that."

"Why the fuck not?!"

Angeal blinked, surprised of the shout. Rarely did Sephiroth curse, even rarer in public. He was a general, so he had to show a perfect act for the whole world. Which meant he never cursed. Now and then Sephiroth did say 'hell', but only when he was talking with his two closest friends. This was a new snappy attitude, maybe Cadet Strife was the blond Sephiroth and Genesis had dreampt about the past few weeks?

"I'm not a Turk." Angeal simply answered.

"Well then, if you can't answer me, I'm going to call Tseng and get a straight answer." Sephiroth hissed, flipping out his phone.

"Sephiroth, I don't think that's a good idea. He's in a meeting with Shinra himself." the commander took possession with the phone.

"What the hell Angeal?! First you tell me lies, then you tell me you can't give me a straight and forward answer, now you take away my phone. Am I some child now?" Sephiroth questioned.

"No, but you're certainly acting like one right now." Angeal frowned, setting the general's phone into his pocket.

"Oh, then does that make you my uncle? Because this isn't funny damn it! Give me back my phone!"

"You can have it back when you're not a cold hearted man who will loose the boyfriend he has now over a blond cadet." the commander said harshly, walking away.

"Then I guess that makes you the equally evil and cold hearted commander!" Sephiroth shouted, before storming his way to his office.

Genesis jumped from his nap when the door opened and slammed loudly. He opened his eyes to see a very angry and emotional general leaning against the door, nearly sobbing against the previously slammed door. Worried, Genesis got up to wrap his arms around the sobbing man, silently telling Sephiroth that he was here to help.

"Genesis...I'm not...loosing you...over the cadet, am I? I'm not a...cold hearted man, am I?" Sephiroth asked between sobs, not daring to glance behind him.

The commander stared, unable to answer while he was in a state of shock.

* * *

Shado: Aha! Well, it was neither C, but it was sort of close to B! I tricked ya! But that doesn't mean Zack isn't out of trouble yet, but right now as you can see Sephiroth is having an emotional break down. And a really bad one too...

So! How would he recover? And what's the second letter Cloud found? You just gotta review so I can update ASAP! XDDD

Review plz!


	8. Cautious Minds

Shado: I gots both good and bad news! Sorry for the long wait, I got a really, _really_, **_really _**bad cold last week, and on Turkey Week! D: I was sick the whole last week, yesterday I had a bit of a coughing fit while at school cuz of too much stress on damn assignments and now, my right hand is gonna get arthritis when I turn twenty in a few years. *cries* That was the bad news.

BUT! Somehow I attracted a beta reader for this fic, it was surprising cuz the first beta reader I attracted was...well, a bastard. Excuse my French, but he was. I'm just happy this one is more friendly. So in a way, the beta reader was the good news. :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing...Well the plot yes, and maybe the goddess...not sure yet if I want one existing in FF7 yet or not. *shrug*

**Chapter** **8** Cautious Minds

* * *

Genesis was speechless. What brought his beloved general to such a state? The commander wished to ask, but now wasn't the time. If he asked such a question now, Sephiroth would dig deeper into his comforting hole and never come back out. Biting his lower lip, and with great care Genesis turned the general around into his lap.

Sephiroth didn't even glance at his lover. The general just stared into space; the glow in his jade green eyes was fading. Genesis laid soft kisses along Sephiroth's face, jaw line, and neck. A few times the commander felt Sephiroth shudder, but remained as still as a statue.

"When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting. There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the goddess." The commander's velvety voice rehearsed, laying a few kisses along Sephiroth's collar bone and chest.

Sephiroth's tense body relaxed, but his eyes remained vacant. Remaining as calm as he could, Genesis pulled the other to his chest, nuzzling his nose into the silver cascades of hair. It was a loving embrace, and Sephiroth knew the answer. Genesis loved him unconditionally, but couldn't find the words to describe. The next best thing was to show his undying love to Sephiroth like any other would.

"I apologize, for doubting you. I was thinking irrationally after…a stupid argument with Angeal." Sephiroth sighed, leaning his head against his commander's shoulder.

"Wait, he's the reason why you're in this state?" Genesis blinked, now growing more worried.

"Cadet Strife is under Turk supervision. He wouldn't tell me why, and he told me neither of us could see him." Sephiroth explained.

"Either of us? Turk supervision? What the hell is going on?" Genesis pouted, almost scowling.

"Hell if I know. Angeal wouldn't tell me anything that was helpful." The general shrugged.

"So then what brought you into such a horrible state?" Genesis frowned.

"He…well first he stole my phone. Then he said I couldn't have it back when I'm not a cold hearted man who will loose you over a blond cadet." Sephiroth almost whimpered.

Surprised, Genesis pulled away from their embrace with his hands on either side of Sephiroth's face, staring into his eyes. At first, the general didn't meet his commander's gaze. Then Genesis gently raised Sephiroth's chin so that their eyes met.

"Tell me, are you telling the truth? Did Angeal really say that?" Genesis wasn't one to judge others, at least from words. By actions then you've got a commander ready to incinerate anyone who hurt his general into flames.

Sephiroth hesitated. "Yes… Angeal said that. Every word of it."

Anger flashed through the commander's eyes. He could tell, through the general's eyes that Sephiroth was telling the truth. If Sephiroth had lied, his eyes would have broken eye contact.

"Damn him!" Genesis cursed, ready to spring up.

"Genesis, don't. Be reasonable, we were arguing—" Sephiroth gripped onto the commander's arms in an attempt to calm the other down.

"No! I will not be reasonable! Angeal should know to never hurt you like that! And with such a low blow, why should we even consider him as our friend?!" Genesis roared, struggling to free his arms from the viper like grip.

"Genesis, it was only an argument!"

"He hurt you! Child of the Goddess or not, Angeal should face the consequences of hurting you like that!" Genesis continued to struggle.

"Genesis, please, not now. Please, I need you now. Genesis, allow me to spend more time with you. I'll take time off, enough for us to spend more time together. Please, love. Genesis, love." Sephiroth's pleading eyes didn't phase the commander's anger.

"_He hurt you_! Sephiroth!" Genesis glared back.

Summoning all of his strength, Sephiroth pushed his commander to the floor and harshly met his lips onto the other's. Genesis growled, raising his hands to grab onto the general's hair. The violent kissing turned to one of urgency. Genesis pulled on Sephiroth's hair, somehow keeping the kiss going when he switched their positions. Surprised, Sephiroth struggled to regain dominance, but the commander had straddled his hips and his hands were currently being held.

After a few minutes, Genesis chuckled and pulled away. Sephiroth gasped, panting for the air his lungs so very much needed. It didn't help his breathing with the commander dressed in only tight leather pants, casually grinding their groins together as if it was no big deal. Well, damn it, it was a big deal to Sephiroth who was now suffering the start of a hard on.

"You'd better be careful, even a phoenix could take down a dragon, when given the chance." Genesis smirked. "Now, what were you saying about taking time off?"

"It won't be…immediate, but I'm sure…the director could arrange for us to have time off by next month." Sephiroth gasped out, still in a daze from the kiss.

"So long as we get two weeks off, then I'm happy." Genesis leaned forward to bite the pale neck, earning a groan and Sephiroth's back arching to rub their chests together.

"Are you secretly a sex fiend? No matter how many times we do this, you always crave for more less than an hour later." The general chuckled darkly.

"Hmm…maaaaybe." Genesis purred. "Why don't we just get down to business…in your bedroom? If, that is, you can make it."

Sephiroth sat up when the commander laughed and ran out the door, heading to their shared apartment on Shinra grounds. Growling, the general stumbled to his feet and followed. Sephiroth was planning any possible way of making Genesis suffer through this round.

* * *

Cloud sat on his bed, currently staring at the envelope that was for Commander Genesis. He didn't know how the envelope got stuck under the one for Ryu, and the cadet didn't know how he was supposed to give it back to Sephiroth.

_I can ask Zack,_ Cloud thought. _But he might open it out of curiosity. So how can I give this to Sephiroth? I could give this to Genesis myself, but he would think I'm being the general's errand boy. I don't want to ruin their relationship between them._

Cloud groaned, lying down. The cadet glanced out the window, taking note that it was dark outside. Hours ago it was dinner, and now it was curfew. Biting his lower lip, Cloud sat up again, glancing at his room mates.

They were all asleep, and content to stay that way all night. Sighing, Cloud stood up and silently walked out. The cadet tip toed down the hallway, careful to avoid any trash cans. When he reached the door to the roof, Cloud carefully opened the door and stepped out.

Now suppose you were alone, and all you wanted to do was to think peacefully under the stars. That was exactly how Cloud pictured himself doing the moment he would sit down and stare at the stars above. The cadet didn't expect to find someone else there as well. When he turned around from closing the door, he nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were out here, and I assumed that no one came up here. Um, I'll go back to my room now." Cloud blushed, ready to turn and reopen the door.

"No, no. You may stay. I wouldn't mind having company this evening." The velvety voice assured.

Cloud bit his lower lip, glancing at the commander. "Um, I don't mean to impose…"

"Aw, poor cadet. Like I said, I wouldn't mind having company. It gets rather lonely up here sometimes." Genesis smiled.

Nervously, the blond stepped closer, still blushing as he remembered their encounter in Midgar. The commander tilted his head, wondering where the blush came from.

"No need to be embarrassed, little one, I mean no harm of telling anyone of this accidental meeting. I tell you, I'm good with keeping secrets." Genesis tried to reassure the blond.

"I, thank you, sir, I just didn't expect to see someone like you up here." Cloud nervously stood next to the sitting commander.

"Oh, me? I just love to stay up here. This is the spot where I first fell in love with Sephiroth. We used to stay up here together and watch the moon." Genesis explained casually.

"Really? Then where is he now, sir?"

"You don't have to call me sir, cadet. And to answer your question, he's in his office working." The commander made a face.

"Oh, I apologize for making you unhappy." Cloud averted his gaze, trying not to stare at the handsome man.

"Come here little one. Why aren't you looking at me directly? Am I really that horrible to look at?" Genesis pouted, tilting his head.

"No! I mean, you're really attractive, wait, I mean it has nothing to do with the way you look. I'm just…embarrassed from our previous encounter, sir." Cloud stuttered the mixed up words.

"We've met before?" the commander blinked.

"Yes, in Midgar, not too long ago actually. You were, I'm sorry if I dishonor you, sir, but you were drunk when we met. You tried to sit down by the fountain, and you almost fell. I, um, managed to stop you from falling, and then you, well…" Cloud looked away, now blushing deeper.

Genesis stared, thinking back to that night. Did he really meet the blond cadet that night? But the blush on the cadet told it all, and the commander immediately hoped he didn't traumatize the young cadet. It was enough that Genesis had dreams of the cute blond, he didn't want to ruin his chance with Cloud.

"I didn't molest you, did I?" Genesis frowned.

"No, sir." Cloud shook his head.

The commander sighed. "Good, I wouldn't forgive myself if I did such a thing to someone like you, little one."

The cadet just nodded, the blush still clear on his cheeks.

"So, what did I do? All I remember is sitting there in the fountain trying to think on what happened." Genesis asked.

"I…we, well, sir, we almost kissed." Cloud turned away in embarrassment.

"I see… Is that why I was in the fountain?" the commander tilted his head.

"Y-yea…" Cloud almost had another heart attack.

"What's your name again?"

"Cloud…Cloud Strife, sir." The cadet said.

"Cloud, what you said before, that I was attractive, did you really mean it?" Genesis leaned closer, almost pouting.

The blond bit his lower lip, unsure just how to answer. He wanted to say yes, but Cloud was scared where that would lead. If he said no, Cloud may never forgive himself. Anxiously, the blond glanced back at the commander. When their eyes met, Cloud forgot to breathe for a moment.

"Y-yes, sir. I did mean it… I don't mean to interfere with your relationship. Um, here. By accident this was underneath the letter for my room mate Sephiroth wrote to." Cloud stood up, searching his pockets until he found the letter.

Genesis took it, reading his name on it in the moonlight. The handwriting he recognized instantly, it was Sephiroth's perfect calligraphic style. The way the G was almost a perfect circle, and the end of the R made a curve under the rest of his last name gave it away.

"Why thank you Clo—"

The commander looked up, Cloud was already gone.

"Aw, but now I don't know how to thank him." Genesis pouted, staring at the letter.

"Hm...I wonder what this is for, I'll ask Seph tomorrow." the commander stood up, storing the envelope in his pocket.

* * *

Cloud held a hand over his chest, his heart pounded so fast he was sure he actually did have a heart attack. But surely he was too young, and he kept a healthy diet. So as long the cadet didn't have too much stress, then he won't have one. Cloud guessed this was what love felt like, when you confessed something to the person you had a crush on.

Quietly, Cloud tip toed down the hallway and to his dorm room. Making as less noise as possible, the blond cadet made his way to his bed and climbed in. Only to find another body in his bed. Holding back his scream, Cloud sat up quickly and just about scooted to the edge of the bed, nearly falling over.

"It's me, Cloud, what ever you do, don't fall or scream." Brandon whispered.

"Brandon! What are you doing?" Cloud scooted forward, away from the edge.

"I woke up, and you weren't here! What were _you _doing? Hm? Not sneaking around were you?" the brunette questioned in a low tone so as to not awake the others.

Cloud thought for a moment. "I uh, was going to the bathroom."

"Yea right, you were gone longer than the bathroom." Brandon retorted.

"Well what do you want me to say?" Cloud glared.

"Tell me where you were, and who you were with." The brunette crossed his arms.

"I was just on the roof, all right? And I was with no one. So there, you got my story. Now can you please get out of my bed?" Cloud grunted, just about ready to push Brandon off the bed.

"Then why are you blushing?" the other cadet whispered.

Cloud couldn't find an answer. Brandon raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting. With a heavy sigh, the blond pushed the brunette in an attempt to get him off his bed. Brandon did fall off, but pulled Cloud along with him to the floor.

The two yelped when they fell, and another scream followed afterwards. But Ryu's cry was ignored by the two cadets, as they started to wrestle each other on the floor. Kyle, with a loud grumble, turned on the light next to his bed and sat up rubbing his eyes before staring at the wrestling cadets with a blank expression. When he realized what was going on, the big cadet's expression turned cold and angry.

"Oi! No fighting when we're tryin' ta get some decent sleep 'ere!" Kyle stood up, ready to split the two shorter cadets.

"Why are you so protective of me anyway? You're not my boyfriend or anything!" Cloud demanded, ignoring the biggest cadet.

"I don't want to wake up and find out that you died because you snuck away to see someone dangerous at night! Do you have any idea how many people in Shinra, SOLDIERS and Turks alike, want to take you? Haven't you noticed the stares!?" Brandon roared, trying to pin the blond cadet to the floor.

"Hey! I said stop fighting!" Kyle stomped his way towards them, popping his knuckles.

"I'm glad you're so worried, but really, I can take care of myself!" Cloud argued, kicking Brandon in the stomach.

"You're still a cadet!" Brandon shouted.

"Stop it you two!" Kyle grumbled, one hand grabbing either cadet's backs and tried to pull them apart. But the two were locked onto each other with the use of their arms, only their legs moved to attack each other.

"Damn it! Ryu, you grab one of 'em and we'll separate 'em." Kyle ordered, still keeping a hold on the two bickering cadets.

Ryu reluctantly stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Cloud's chest and pulled. Kyle let go of the blond cadet, and now used both hands to drag Brandon away and back to their side of the dorm. By now the two cadets were shouting, not caring for their neighbors in the hallway.

Although Ryu claimed to never be very strong, he still managed to hold onto Cloud. But from Kyle's point of view, the positioning was awkward to say the least. Ryu held his arms around the blonde's chest from behind. While at the same time the darker cadet's legs were wrapped around Cloud's waist, preventing the blond much movement.

The door opened, revealing a few Shinra guards followed by none other than Commander Genesis. Cloud glanced away, hiding his blush. Ryu hid his own embarrassment by hiding his face behind the blonde's shoulder. Kyle saluted, while keeping one hand on Brandon's shirt to prevent him from going anywhere. The brunette grumbled something under his breath, before saluting the commander as well.

"What's all the commotion? I was doing my regular rounds of making sure everyone had turned in for their curfew, and I find a battlefield going on in here." Genesis glanced at the cadets in slight disgust.

Or that was until the commander's eyes found Cloud, in a very awkward position to be found in. Genesis wished he had a camera, he was sure that Sephiroth would have loved to see this. But for now, the commander would have to refrain from laughing out loud. From the blush on Cloud's cheeks, he was embarrassed enough right now.

"So, what's going on?" Genesis demanded again, his voice a little calmer this time.

"We just had some bad argument, sir. Cadet Fuji and I will take care of it, if you don't mind, sir." Kyle spoke up.

"All right, be sure that you do. I'll take my leave. Guards, you're dismissed." Genesis ordered them, and they left with a hint of a scowl on their faces.

"Cadets, if this happens again, I'll personally separate you into rooms with the lesser cadets, who have been known to cause more mayhem than you. Do I make myself clear?" the commander reminded them of his position.

"Yes, sir." All of the cadets in the room said.

"Good. I'll take my leave. Have a good evening, cadets." Genesis smirked when he took one last glance at Cloud and Ryu, and walked out.

Kyle and Brandon sighed, relieved. The two took a glance at the shyer of their room mates, blinking when they both fainted at the same time. With a groan, Kyle let go of the brunette and made his way to the other two. Carefully the big cadet picked them up, and carried them to Cloud's bed. Kyle didn't care to separate them; Ryu had a death grip on the blond cadet.

"You think that's a good idea?" Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"They can bitch about it in the mornin'. Right now, I need meh beauty sleep." Kyle grumbled, turning off the light and climbed into bed.

Brandon shook his head when he heard the big cadet's snore.

* * *

Shado: Well, there ya go! Sorry if it seems a bit short or something. It was really four pages long on Micorsoft Word.

And, yes, Cloud and Ryu fainted. HAHAHA!!! This chap was just so serious, I had to throw in a bit of a comic relief. I don't want my reviewers so sad after what happened in the last chap.

So, what's gonna happen to Angeal and Zack? What about Cloud and his room mates? You'll find out in the next chap if ya review!

Review plz!


	9. Time Is The Enemy

Shado: Sorry for a bit of waiting, I got over some intense reviewing for finals which weren't half bad I should say. But now here's the next chap! I have a three week vacation, so there will be lots of updates! Hopefully...

Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 9** Time Is The Enemy

* * *

"Hey there, gorgeous. You wouldn't believe what I just caught while I did my errands around the barracks." Genesis grinned as he walked into his living room with the general currently sitting on the couch waiting for his love's return.

"Oh? And what would that be, love?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Hm…let's say I just caught our little Cloud in the most awkward position when he and one of his room mates got into a little fight. Fuji, I think it was, held onto him as they sat on the floor, his arms around Cloud's chest, and his legs around the waist. They looked so cute!"

Sephiroth raised his other eyebrow.

"And, they looked much, much cuter when they blushed like a couple of girls caught naked when I walked in." Genesis added with a sly grin, sitting on the general's lap wiggling slightly.

"Hmmmm." Sephiroth sighed, a smirk tugged on the corners of his mouth. "That conjures interesting images."

"I wish I took a picture, but I didn't have my camera." The commander pouted. "Plus, I had the guards with me when I walked in to stop the fighting."

"If you did, the cadets would have died from shock and embarrassment." Sephiroth pointed out, laying a few butterfly kisses along his boyfriend's jaw line.

Genesis chuckled, eyeing the general as he tilted his head cutely. For someone who was kissing him affectionately kept total control of his hands. And right now both Sephiroth's hands were on either side of his legs, away from the commander's body.

"You're not in the mood." Genesis said lightly.

"I'm trying not to get in the mood. A few hours ago you barely walked out of this room with a limp. Anymore intimate round of sex and you'll be staying in bed for weeks." Sephiroth stared up at his commander with uneasiness in his eyes.

Genesis seemed confused, but quickly turned into a blissful expression as his eyes twinkled. Within seconds the two shared a soft, gentle kiss but didn't escalate like the others usually did. The two sighed, enjoying the moment. The commander cup Sephiroth's face with his hands, softly caressing the general's cheek bones with his thumbs.

His hands twitching, Sephiroth raised his hands to massage circles over the commander's shoulders. Genesis moaned softly, disconnecting from their kiss as the general's skilled hands released the stress and tension in his muscles.

The commander leaned his head to Sephiroth's neck and shoulder, closing his eyes with a deep sigh. Sephiroth inhaled the other's scent, enjoying he peace while his hands continued to do its magic. Genesis hummed, his breathing evened out as he slowly drifted into sleep.

Sephiroth smiled, lightly kissing the commander's cheek. A few minutes of waiting just to be sure Genesis was truly asleep, the general slowly got up and carried the sleeping form to their room. And with careful proximity, Sephiroth removed the commander of his leather attire and put better clothing for the night.

When he settled Genesis in bed, Sephiroth changed into his own pajamas. As soon as he was well suited for the night, the general climbed under the covers and wrapped his arms around his commander. Genesis instinctively snuggled closer for warmth.

Sephiroth ran his hand through the auburn hair, watching the other sleep. Not too long afterwards the general closed his eyes and welcomed sweet slumber.

--------------A Few Months Later-----------------

Zack lazily opened his eyes to reveal a snoring Angeal next to him. Slightly confused, the young soldier blinked away his sleepiness as he stared at the love of his life. Usually Angeal was awake before Zack cracked an eye open.

Lately the commander was acting strange for the past few months. Angeal was looking off in a distance, he rarely touched his food, and whenever Genesis or Sephiroth walk by the commander takes a step towards them but at the last second he turns around to remain with Zack. What worried the young soldier the most was that when Angeal's back was turned the other two glared daggers at him.

_They must have had a really bad argument._ Zack concluded.

With a sigh, Zack ran a hand through the surprisingly soft hair. Angeal made a light grumble in his throat, his hair was always sensitive. Zack couldn't help but grin at the pleasured sound. While keeping his hand in the thick black hair, the young soldier watched his lover as Angeal snored in his content slumber.

Five minutes later the commander slowly opened his eyes. Angeal blinked when the first thing he saw was the grinning face of Zack. And, was that a hand in his hair? Zack laughed as Angeal sat up with a confused face.

"Pup, what are you doing up before me? Don't tell me you had coffee before you went to bed last night." Angeal raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, you're the sleepyhead now. I woke up at my usual time." Zack pointed at the clock behind the commander.

Angeal glanced over his shoulder, frowning at the time. The commander really did sleep in. This was very unusual, Angeal hadn't slept in since he was ten. With a groan Angeal laid his head back on the pillow.

"Something's bothering you. No, that's an understatement. Something's going on between you, Sephiroth and Genesis." Zack stated, leaning over the commander's shoulder.

"They have their eye on your blond friend. Tseng wants no part of them interfering with the cadet. Apparently Strife is neither a cadet for SOLDIER, nor a cadet for the Turks. I'm not sure if either side would give him up if it meant life or death." Angeal sighed.

"So in order to keep Tseng and Sephiroth from killing each other, you get in the way and told the general to stay away from Cloud." Zack guessed, earning a raised eyebrow. "Hey, I'm smart when I have to be. And right now things aren't going so well between you and those two lovebirds."

"Not to mention Genesis is about ready to burst and throw flames at me." Angeal added.

Before Zack could reply, a cell phone rang. Both soldiers blinked for a moment, the tune wasn't either of their phones. The commander slid off the bed and stood up, listening intently with his ears. Angeal remembered, he took the general's phone.

Fear gripping him, the commander searched frantically for the ringing phone. He found it in the front pocket of his pants that was in the laundry basket. Holding it, Angeal checked the caller I.D.

"Damn it." The commander cursed softly.

"Who is it?"

"Genesis."

"Whatever you do, don't answer it."

The two waited until the phone stopped ringing. Angeal sat down on the bed, watching the device blinking a little red light, signaling that it was recording a message. Zack scooted closer, peering over Angeal's shoulder. There was something familiar with the phone, and the young soldier tilted his head slightly.

"Is that…Sephiroth's phone?"

"You could say that. I took it away from him, he was being childish." Angeal explained.

"Wait. You _took_ Sephiroth's phone?" Zack stared.

"Like I said, he was being childish for not getting what he wanted for the first time." The commander shrugged.

Zack just stared. Sometimes he wondered if Angeal took on as the parental part of their friendship with the other two. Made sense, the commander was always the one who looked after the other two in their friendship. When Zack came into the picture, the commander somehow carried on his parental instincts with his lover. It embarrassed the young soldier sometimes, but he knew that he was being cared for.

Finally the phone stopped ringing. A small light on the front blinked, letting them know that a message was being recorded. Zack rested his chin over Angeal's shoulder, watching the light blink away. After a good three minutes, the little light stopped blinking.

Zack watched his commander heave a heavy sigh before flipping the phone open. The young soldier kept his chin where it was, ignoring the annoyed expression Angeal gave him. Rolling his eyes, the commander held the phone up to his ear. Zack's ear was on the other side of the phone, but his hearing was as good as any soldier of Shinra.

"Hey, I know you still have his phone. Listen, I'm tired of avoiding you and I'm tired of going to bed and waking up to find Sephiroth with little sleep. And I'm freaking tired of him being so broken down, damn it!" Genesis hissed.

Angeal frowned. But the message went on.

"So to fix everything up, I've decided to call up the director and ask for the four of us, this includes the puppy, and a few cadets to a top secret mission. He has agreed, apparently he's tired ofthis argument dragging on too."

Zack furrowed his eyebrows. What was this about?

"I'm afraid the director didn't give me any information of the mission, top secret and all. So expect a call within the next few days if not next week."

There was a pause.

"You know…you could have told us to keep ourselves away from Tseng. You didn't have to make Sephiroth have a bad break down. You owe me for all I did to keep him away from sharp objects."

_Click._

Silence filled the room. Zack removed his chin from the broad shoulder, staring up at the commander's face. The young soldier almost cried, seeing the anguish expression on his lover's face.

"Angeal…"

"I…"

"Let's get ready. If what he says is true, we're gonna go and check on Lazard." Zack stood up, offering a hand.

Angeal stared for a few moments, before taking the hand and stood up. At the very least he was grateful that the other two were finally going down to make everything up between them. Still, Angeal felt that the blond cadet should still remain safe and away from the general and his commander. Even though he hadn't met Cloud yet, Angeal's parental instincts somehow extended to the young cadet.

* * *

_Meanwhile_

Cloud sat on his bed, relieved for the time off. He and his 'friends' went through some harsh training the past few months. Of course, Lt. Fair went easy on them compared to the other Commanders. Cadets were always treated harshly and with little respect no matter how hard they tried.

But Zack trained them none of the less. First he got them to strengthen themselves up by doing push ups, crunches, squats, and running. Many of the cadets in Cloud's class had trouble the first few weeks, for they were almost pushed to their limits.

The blond cadet however, even if he was thin and scrawny at the time, kept a good even pace with Zack's orders. He was good with the running, he learned to conserve his energy during the time he made his trip to Midgar. The crunches and squats just helped his muscles get better at running. It was the push ups that he failed in.

But when two months went by, Cloud's body was already progressing into a lithe figure of a soldier. He had muscles on his arms now, which made it easier with his push ups and rarely had any problem with them. He was even better at running, he could beat Zack now! Still, Cloud rarely allowed himself to beat Zack, or else the other cadets might try and bully him.

Then came the actual battle training, the reason why they were here. Cloud thought it would have been harder than trying to build arm strength (which pained him to no end), but when it came down with a weapon in his hands the cadet was a natural. As Zack would sometimes say, "born with sword skillz", which the blond would roll his eyes in annoyance.

To feel the surge of energy as he lunged at his opponent, his heart pounding, his feet moving so fast he was a blur of gold and blue, to feel so—so _alive_. Cloud loved it. Now he understood why so many applied for SOLDIER, the excitement of fighting with a sword was exhilarating. Cloud often wondered if Sephiroth had the same experience when he first handled the sword. Shaking his head, the blond cadet brushed the thought of the general out of his head to continue training.

His Turk training wasn't too bad. It was harsher than the SOLDIER program, hence Turks had to follow every order without questions. It was hard, but Cloud discovered that he had good patience when his teacher decided to give a patience test on the class. The blond passed it with flying colors. As for the rest of the Turk training, Cloud did somewhat well with the guns. Within the first few weeks he utterly failed.

But after hard concentration, the blond found that he could do a decent job at target practice. A few times Tseng came by to examine his progress, and it was that same day Cloud managed to aim the bull's eye eight out of ten times. It was Cloud's personal best record, which he hadn't beaten since but he's working on it. At least he didn't have to go through flying aircraft yet. As far as Cloud could tell, it would be a nightmare.

And now, after so much training, they finally earned three days off. It wasn't so much that Cloud didn't like his training, he enjoyed it. His social life needed to be brought down for a bit. After the embarrassing predicament with Genesis, no one let down the fact that Cloud and Ryu's awkward position. People talked, and someone spread rumors of the two cadets were together. As in _together_, together.

Cloud didn't mind much, so long no one tried to bully Ryu. The poor boy was so skittish, he had to stay by either Cloud's or Kyle's side to keep the bullies away. Everyone knew of Cloud's ability with a sword, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end. As for Kyle, he was the wrestler champion back in Rocket Town. As of yet no one's defeated him in armwrestling and one on one. It was natural to avoid him.

Just when Cloud was about to open the goddess book to read, there was a knock on the door. All four cadets sprang up, they didn't expect anyone to knock. With a small groan, Brandon got up and opened the door.

"Hey, I just got a call. A few chosen selected cadets in Lt. Fair's class are going on a very important mission with Lt. Fair himself, Commander Hewley, Commander Rhapsodos, and the General." Jon, a classmate of theirs, said.

Brandon stood where he was, shocked. The other three stared, waiting.

"I congratulate that Cloud, Ryu, and Kyle are going. Brandon will have to stay here." The cadet explained further.

Cloud frowned. Why would Brandon have to stay? He was doing very well in his classes. In fact, Ryu had been planning to move to the Turk training the past few days. So why was Ryu coming along and not Brandon? It didn't make sense. Surely Zack was informed of this before the cadets started their three days off.

"How long do we have to get ready?" Kyle asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"You have tonight, you leave at dawn." Jon replied.

"Anyone else coming with us?" Cloud spoke up.

"It's just the three of you." Jon shrugged.

The blond frowned. Now something was way off. But he shrugged his shoulders, and went to his duffle bag. Ryu stared wide eyed at Jon, he wasn't supposed to do anything, now that he's being put into the Turk program. Apparently Zack had other ideas.

"Well, I'd better go. Good luck." Jon turned and left.

Brandon closed the door. He turned and sat at the edge of his bed, staring blankly into space. Kyle patted his shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Sorry, man." The big cadet said.

"I don't like this." Cloud spoke, folding his arms.

"Why?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.

"Zack knows that Ryu isn't going to stay in the SOLDIER program, why did he select him on this mission?" the blond questioned, frowning.

"I'm better off at this mission, but Zack had to choose the scrawny Wutainese." Brandon snorted.

Ryu visibly flinched.

"Oi, let's not blame the poor kid. He's had enough stress the past few months." Kyle grumbled, tightening his grip on the brunette's shoulder.

"But—"

"Finish that sentence and I'll take you on sword to sword." Cloud glared with a snarl.

Brandon closed his mouth.

"Let's not threaten each other either." The big cadet casted a small glare at the blond.

"Maybe…if I talk to Tseng, he would allow me to move today. That way Zack would have no choice but to pick Brandon to replace me." Ryu suggested.

The cadets thought for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea really.

"You sure you'll be able to take care of yourself?" Brandon asked. "After all we're pretty much your body guards around here."

Ryu shook his head. "Tseng will make sure I'm in a dorm with good people."

"How can you be so sure?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.

The smallest cadet averted his gaze. He couldn't tell them now, but maybe it was for the best. Ryu took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"All right, you know I'm Wutainese. I was born and raised in Wutai, don't get me wrong, I'm not here for revenge. Tseng would know."

"What do you mean, _Tseng would know_?" the brunette interrupted, a hint of mockery in his voice.

"He's a distant relative of mine."

Cloud tilted his head at Ryu. He could see the resemblance, if Tseng was some years younger and scrawnier with a hair cut. Ryu's hair was in layers in the back, in the front he had bangs where Tseng did not. It was the eyes that held the deepest resemblance, an amber brown color that seemed to turn red depending on the amount of light. They were even the same shape, but Tseng's were more narrow while Ryu's are wider for his young age.

"I came here, because I wanted to become strong. In my family I was disgraced because of my skittish behavior. No one believed I could be strong, therefore my parents chose to make me a scholar. Then…" Ryu flinched, finding a crack on the floor fascinating for a moment.

"Then? What happened?" Cloud encouraged his friend softly.

"They came. The general and his men. I was visiting a temple, where most of the Wutai soldiers were to pray. The tradition was a warrior was to pray to his ancestors and the gods for guidance before battle, so we were vulnerable.

"When S-Sephiroth attacked, everyone was caught off guard. Chaos ensued, I ran, like the coward I was, and hid. I watched as…everything went into flames. Even though I had hid, I managed to save a few of the children. And…and when everything was over, I decided to leave. I wanted to prove that I was strong, and that I could face my fears." Ryu bit his lip.

"So that's why you're afraid of Sephiroth. For what he did in Wutai…" Cloud frowned. He never thought of the families that were torn apart when Sephiroth killed the Wutai warriors.

"It turns out that I can't face my fears, though. I can't take on the SOLDIER program. Not with…not with Sephiroth so close. He scares me." Ryu sniffed.

"Hey, man, we understand. I'm amazed you managed to stay in the SOLDIER program this long. You did face your fears, even if you had to turn away in the end." Brandon sighed.

"But…"

"Really you did. Look back, remember how many times you've met Sephiroth, and you got better and better at staying put without running to the corner. You did great." Cloud smiled.

Ryu nodded. "Yea…but I can't face him anymore. I'm better off as the Turk."

"Still, I'll escort you. We could talk to Tseng and switch Brandon in your place." The blond cadet stood up.

The Wutainese cadet nodded, following Cloud out of the dorm room to the Turk building. Kyle called out that they would continue packing everything, including Ryu's in case he had to leave as soon as possible. With a nod, Cloud continued to lead the way.

_I have a bad feeling about this mission…_

_

* * *

_

Shado: Haha, hope it was long enough for ya guys for making you wait a while.

Merry Christmas! Faliz Navidad! Frohe weinachten! And however else you say it! XD

Sooooo, whats with this top secret mission? Where are they gonna go? What do they have to do once they get there? Review, and find out!

Review plz!


	10. The Whispers

Shado: Sorry for the wait, I had so much going on at the same time it was hard to get back into my usual routine. But now that _**finally**_ everything's going back to normal, it was time to update. And to make up for the wait, this chapter is extra long! I hope you enjoy!

And thank you for all that reviewed! This story hit the 100 review mark! Yay! I'm so happy I could jump up and down and grin like Zack high on sugar!! XDDD

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas I come up with for your own entertainment.

**Chapter 10** The Whispers

* * *

When Cloud and Ryu walked into the Turk building, the blond stepped aside and allowed the Wutainese to take the lead. Cloud didn't exactly know the way around in this building, he only knew his way around for his classes. His Turk instructors never told him or his classmates where Tseng's office was, he was the Head Turk who didn't need to be bothered after all.

Nervously Ryu took the lead. He wasn't so nervous in this particular building, it was the fact he didn't want to meet two certain Turks. It was their day off from a heavy duty mission and a loud mouthed red headed Turk took a liking of making fun of Ryu. The Wutainese wasn't being bullied, no not at all. But this Turk just wouldn't leave him alone whenever they happened to be in the same place at the same time!

"You all right Ryu?" Cloud asked, snapping said boy out of his inner embarrassment.

"Oh…yea, I'm fine." Ryu paused, instantly tensing up when he saw something red turning the corner towards them.

Sensing the change in the air, the blond cadet glanced at the pair in front of them. A red head with spiked hair and the back tied into a rat's tail that went down to his back. Cloud noticed the Turk uniform was messy, unbuttoned and definitely wrinkled. The way the Turk's white shirt and black suit hung loosely on his body made Cloud uneasy. The Turk looked too much like a gangster.

The red head's partner by far neater, but he too carried that aura of uneasiness. Maybe it had something to do with the dark shades hiding the bald Turk's eyes. The blond cadet stood closer to Ryu as the pair came closer. When they were a few feet away did the red head finally realize they were there and gasped.

"Why isn't this ironic? Why, look Rude, it's the little runt Fuji!"

"I'm not a runt." Ryu frowned.

"Aw, you're so cute when you deny the facts!" the red head grinned.

The bald Turk gave his partner a silent glance.

"Whoa, and who's this little blond beauty here? He looks like a chocobo."

"He's no one, just a friend of mine." Ryu hissed. "And leave us alone, we're on our way to Tseng-sama's office."

Cloud couldn't help but glance between the other teen to the Turks, unsure how to settle the situation without drawing blood. It was clear Ryu didn't like them, and obviously didn't try to stop them hence they were Turks. And by the looks of them they were well experienced Turks.

"Still giving Tseng the honorific? Jeez, yer too damn civilized, yo! You should live wild for a night, Fuji!" the red head grinned wider when the young runt rubbed his forehead under his bangs.

"He's civilized for a reason." Cloud said without thinking.

"Oh? And why's that yo? Are you two hooked up or somethin'?" a red eyebrow raised, a hint of amusement in his green eyes.

"Reno leave him alone! 'Sides, he's got eyes for someone else so shut up!" Ryu shouted, turning to leave.

"So he's single? I bet he's good in bed." Reno stepped closer to the blond cadet.

_He's not worthy of you._ A voice echoed in Cloud's mind, his body tensed in response to the strange voice. He was so distracted the blond cadet didn't realize that Reno had his arm around his waist, pulling him closer with a wide grin.

_He doesn't deserve you. You're reserved for someone else; make this one pay for interfering._ The voice hissed, causing Cloud to shiver. He couldn't tell if the voice was male or female, yet somehow it was almost comforting.

_Defend!_ It howled as the Turk's hands roamed the blonde's body. Growling, Cloud raised his knee harshly against Reno's thigh. Before the red head could finish his surprised yelp, the young cadet punched the Turk's shoulder in an attempt to push him away. Reno reflexes with a punch of his own, adding a kick while he was at it.

Easily blocking the punch, Cloud dodged to his right and avoided the harsh kick. Ryu watched open mouthed as the fight unfolded. The small runt glanced over to Rude, who seemed just as surprised as he adjusted his shades. Seeing that the bald Turk wasn't worried, Ryu stood where he was in the sidelines and watched.

Reno was shocked. His rational thought was pushed to the back of his head as his instincts took over. The Turk easily pushed the short cadet to a corner with a number of punches and kicks. Cloud easily blocked half of them, while ducked or dodged the rest. It wasn't until his back hit the corner did the cadet realized he fell into a trap.

Grinning with his pearly whites, Reno launched a high kick to the cadet's head. Cloud ducked his head, but the Turk's foot found his shoulder. Ryu took a step forward, but stood where he was as the blonde cadet fell to the floor and instinctively curled up.

Confident that he won, Reno kneeled down and grabbed the cadet's uniform. Cloud whimpered, playing along.

"You got guts, kid. I'll give ya that much. But you've got lots ta learn when you're taking on a Turk, yo." Reno chuckled.

_He's the one who should learn not to mess with us._ The voice hissed. _Surprise him._

Cloud smirked, his eyes flashing a bright green. Furrowing his eyebrows, Reno tilted his head at the cadet's strange reaction. Those mako green eyes looked awfully familiar. While the Turk was pondering over the eyes Cloud turned his body to lay curled up on his back before aiming a kick to Reno's ribs.

_Crack!_

Reno jumped, backing away a few paces as he held his hands over his left side.

"Shit, yo! I think he broke a rib, damn it!" the Turk cursed under his breath, struggling not to cough and make the pain in his chest worse.

Upon hearing the sickening break, Rude reached for his weapon and stepped forward. The bald Turk was about ready to strike the cadet, who remained in a defensive stance after the kick to Reno's ribs, when Tseng held his hand up. The Head Turk had seen the whole fight, and saw it from a safe distance to where he wouldn't be noticed. Surprised Rude put his weapon away, turned and made his way to his injured partner.

"Damn the cadet…he's fucking got th' General's eyes, yo!" Reno shouted, groaning as he hunched over.

Ryu bit his lower lip, his body shivering as he stared at the piercing green cat-like eyes. The young runt couldn't tear his gaze away from the icy glare. Tseng stepped closer to the blonde cadet, settling a hand on a tense shoulder.

Cloud blinked, his irises returned to the normal circular shape from the narrow slits. But the green glow remained. The cadet's senses remained alert and cautious as he lowered his arms. Ensured that Cloud was relaxed, Tseng turned his attention to the pair.

"Rude, patch up Reno enough so he could sit in his office working on papers." The Head Turk said calmly.

"But boss—" Reno furrowed his eyebrows.

"No buts. You provoked a cadet. You didn't have the right to feel him over as you say, _'sex_ _'em up'_. I will expect your report from your recent mission tomorrow and early. Rude, keep him in line if you would, please." Tseng crossed his arms. "Oh, and you're taken off your next mission. But Rude gets to remain."

The bald Turk silently nodded. Rude kept one hand around his partner's arm, guiding Reno to their office to patch him up before the redhead could make any nasty remarks that could punish him further. The red head cursed under his breath, casting an angry glare over his shoulder at the blonde cadet. There was something about Cloud that didn't suit him right, and Reno planned to keep well away from the cadet until he figured out what was going on.

When the pair left, Cloud instantly calmed. His eyes returned to their normal blue depth. Now the green glare gone, Ryu relaxed his shoulders. His friend was back, that was all that mattered to the young runt. Ryu stepped closer to stand next to Cloud while the head Turk turned to face them.

"Forgive them, Reno can be…quite an annoyance." Tseng humbly said. "Now I believe you wished to ask me of something?"

"Y-yes, sir. It's true, I believe, and please forgive me for saying something so bluntly, but I think Lt. Fair forgot about my leave from SOLDIER program." Ryu nodded.

"Hm. No it was not a mistake. I'm sorry but it was I who suggested Fuji to be assigned on the mission." The Turk folded his arms, a grim expression on his face.

"You? But why?" Cloud questioned, eyes narrowed.

"This is the most dangerous mission Shinra has to offer. That is why we're sending the best of the best, and with very few cadets. I understand that Ryu Fuji is undergoing the switch between a cadet to the SOLDIER program to the Turks. But that is the reason why, he's going as a Turk in training." Tseng elaborated with a hint of a smile.

Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"Reno and Rude were supposed to go on the same mission. They were supposed to be your communication to HQ. Now that Reno is down, he'll need a replacement. But Rude will still be going, this mission requires at least two Turks." The Head Turk added his smile broader.

"…" A sense of dread washed over Cloud like a wave. "I'm not in trouble, am I? I didn't mean to hurt him so much—"

"No, you were not in trouble. You have my word, I saw the whole incident. You were defending yourself, and up against a Turk with advanced experience take guts." Tseng folded his arms.

Speechless, the blonde cadet briefly nodded and gazed at the floor. It wasn't the first time he was praised, but he felt horrible for breaking a few ribs.

_Forget him. He deserved it._ The voice whispered softly.

"Now, I suggest you boys head back to your bunks. You leave at the first sign of dawn, and it's going to be a very long flight. You need all the sleep you'll need for this mission." Tseng suggested, turning to leave for his office.

"Wait, may I ask you a question?" Cloud scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Yes, Cadet Strife?" Tseng half turned to peer at said blonde over his shoulder.

"Um, Zack may have already asked this, but will you take care of Aerith while we're gone?" the blond cadet tentatively asked.

"Rest assured, I will. And yes, Zack beat you to asking me." Tseng nodded.

Relieved, Cloud waved before he followed Ryu down the hall for their dorm. The Turk watched them like a protective parent allowing their child into the world on their own. Tseng was more worried of their safe return, and if Cloud will ever trust him again after this mission. The same went with the other three angels, surely they would loose what little trust Tseng gained over the years.

"Pray Gaia, I hope I made the right decision." Tseng whispered to himself.

* * *

_Next Morning_

"All right boys, if any of you start to feel sick consort to either Genesis or Angeal. We have bags on board, but not enough to sustain the whole trip." Cissinei explained.

"Man oh man, this one huge chopper!" Zack nearly bounced in his seat.

"It's one of the new models. This helicopter is meant for bigger transportation and it's built with heavier metal so it takes much more than firing guns to take this down." The female Turk promptly smiled.

Cloud was more or less impressed. On the outside their ride was big and bulky, sort of reminding the blonde about how he first met Kyle. What really caught his attention were the two blades on each side of the aircraft. If the blades were put together they could reach the helicopter from the tail to the head.

From what he saw in a distance, was that the blades could lean forward, back, and to the side to adjust the aircraft's landing. Cloud was sure that the blades could also be used to turn, making it faster than the normal helicopters the Turks used.

"Is everyone tucked in?" Cissinei spoke up as she and Rude started the engine.

"We're good to go!" Genesis gave the thumbs up.

"Shinra Base, this is B—22, ready for take off."

"_B—22, we hear you loud and clear. You're clear for take off."_ A voice in the radio replied.

Cloud braced himself as the aircraft started to hover above ground. It was shaky at first, but once Cissinei got the hang of it the helicopter was steady and safely gained altitude. Taking his mind off the uneasiness in his stomach, the blonde glanced around to see who sat next to him.

To his left was Ryu, his expression was that of excitement and wonder. To his right was the bouncing Zack, just barely able to contain himself in his own excitement. In front of Cloud sat the ever calm Sephiroth. The general seemed at complete ease, as if nothing bothered him.

Genesis sat in front of Zack, to Sephiroth's left. The red soldier seemed irritated for the fact he had to sit near the hyper puppy. Cloud noticed early on that Genesis was never a fan to the easy happy go lucky Zack, always grinning and seemed to find every little reason why to be happy. Still, Cloud believed that deep down Genesis didn't mind at all about the Puppy of Soldier.

Sitting on the other side of Sephiroth, sat a very nervous Angeal. His arms were folded and crossed over his chest. His head leaned down as if he was anxious to get this mission over and done with. Cloud was surprised at this new side of Angeal. Although he never met Angeal personally, he knew him through Zack.

Zack always talked about his lover. They seemed quite happy together, and Cloud was envious of their relationship. Zack was the carefree partner, while Angeal was the supportive partner. Feeling the anxiety reaching him, Cloud turned his attention back to Sephiroth.

He was envious of the general too. Sephiroth had a spontaneous relationship with Genesis. The two were made for each other, and that was Cloud's main problem. He didn't want to interrupt their relationship, but he couldn't help but feel this pull towards them.

_They are meant for you. No worries, young one. Someday they'll hold you, and love you._ The soft voice whispered encouragingly.

That voice again. Since the day before it whispered things to him. It talked about the Lifestream, how it was the planet's network and how it keeps the planet alive. The Lifestream was made of the souls who died on the planet, and they come together and formed the Lifestream to keep the planet alive. In a sense you take from the planet, and then you give it back once you leave to join the Lifestream.

The voice also told him to listen to his instincts, let it flow through him when he was in danger. Cloud asked how he was supposed to do so. The voice answered, saying that he already did so twice when he was defended himself from the gang members and Reno, just the night before. Cloud understood, and agreed to continue to follow his intuition.

"Cloud? Buddy, you okay?" Zack poked him.

"Hm? No, I'm fine." The blonde nodded, snapping out of his thoughts.

"You sure? You were staring off into space for the past two hours." Zack furrowed his eyebrows in concern.

Cloud blinked. "Really…?"

"Yes. It took the puppy about fifteen minutes to get your attention." Genesis remarked, tilting his head with a curious expression as he stared at the fair cadet.

"…Sorry." Cloud lowered his head in full shame.

"No need to apologize, cadet." Sephiroth spoke up.

"What was it that you were thinking? It had to be deep enough not to hear Zack for so long." Angeal gently prodded.

_Don't tell them about us._ The voice hissed.

'_Us?'_ Cloud frowned.

_We are not one, but many. We are the Cetra, an ancient race that is almost extinct. Do not tell them. You do and you'll be immediately put through painful tests. And there will be nothing your friends can do to protect you._ The "voices" explained thoroughly.

"Cloud? I think he blanked out on us again." Zack ruffled his hand through the blonde spikes.

"Hey!" Cloud pouted, pushing the hand away.

"Calm down, it's not like your hair can't get any messier." The puppy joked.

"Is there something that you're not telling us, Strife?" there was a slight hint of venomous tone in the general's voice as he spoke.

Cloud immediately tensed. "No, I'm fine. I'm just spacing out, that's all."

The sharp green eyes studied him. Studied him like a predator eyeing his prey, waiting for the right moment. The look itself brought shivers down the blonde's spine. Still, Cloud held his ground and stared back with equal intensity.

_He has no right to meddle with us._ The voices encouraged.

Everyone glanced between Sephiroth and Cloud with curious and admiration at the cadet. And a hint of fear for Cloud, no cadet stood his ground against the general and live to tell the story. Even Zack was speechless as the pair continued to stare, never backing off. The air around them started to become thicker as they awaited the outcome.

"Boys, we're here." Cissinei interrupted the tense silence.

At the same moment both general and cadet broke eye contact to turn their attention elsewhere. Sephiroth was more confused as to why the blonde cadet didn't answer a simple question. Meanwhile Cloud was infuriated that the general shouldn't have asked such a question. Now everyone would be suspicious of Cloud for not answering.

Once the engine was off, Genesis and Zack opened the doors on either side of the aircraft. The others began to unstrap themselves to stand outside and stretch their legs and breathe in fresh air. The moment everyone was out Cissinei went over the plan.

"This mission is to see how well we can fight these new monsters that have appeared simply out of nowhere. Any that you kill are to be taken as samples to Professor Hojo for examination. There are two groups, one is to search and hunt these monsters. While the other stays behind and guards the aircraft." The female Turk explained.

"And who makes up these two groups?" Sephiroth asked.

"The cadets are to stay here with one Turk and a SOLDIER, while the rest of you soldier boys and I go and hunt down these mysterious creatures. I should warn you, and Hewley is a witness, these monsters are _not_ to be judged as any other monster you've faced. They are cunning, fast, and coordinate with one another like a special team." Cissinei warned flatly.

"That's what this mission is about? Fighting those treacherous beings?" Angeal frowned, once again crossing his arms in distaste.

"Yes." Cissinei nodded.

"Then I'll stay here." The honorable soldier bluntly said.

Within less than ten minutes the teams were ready. Angeal and Cissinei told everything that they could about the creatures. They warned that the monsters were indeed, cunning; they watch their opponent and see how they fight before attacking. They were fast, with six legs they can reach speeds up to a hundred miles per hour, making them the fastest monsters on the planet.

When they were ready, the group split up. Sephiroth took the lead to search, while the rest followed swiftly and remained alert. Cissinei took the rear of the hunting parade, while Angeal made himself the leader of the group that stayed behind to guard their only way out of these hazardous mountains.

Cloud watched the First Class Soldiers leave. In his heart he desperately wanted to follow, his instincts was the same. But he refrained. Those creatures were too dangerous for a cadet like him in training. Instead he looked down at his scarf that Aerith gave him.

It made him think that he should stay behind, for his safety. So that he could return to Midgar and repay Aerith for the gift. He still had to do; the blonde couldn't find a suitable gift for the flower girl in the slums. This was all the more reason why he had to stay behind in the first place.

_What are you doing? Go after them!_ The voices violently hissed at him. The notion itself rippled through Cloud so violent, he nearly toppled over in shock. Instead he kneeled to the ground, one hand on his gun while the other clutched his chest in pain.

"Cloud!?" Ryu ran to his friend's side.

"I…I'm fine…" the blonde replied shakily.

_Follow them!_ The voices urged on, continuing to surge their anger through his body.

'_No…it's not my duty to follow.'_ Cloud angrily shot back.

_Forget duty! Follow them!_

"Cadet Strife?"

Said cadet blinked as Angeal came into his view, kneeling beside him with a hand on his shoulder. Cloud tried to speak, but the pain shot through him again. Closing his mouth to prevent a scream, the blonde stared into the soldier's eyes in plea for help.

Understanding the look, Angeal furrowed his eyebrows with worry. He didn't know how to help the cadet. So he did what he could do, reassuring the cadet that he was there and that Cloud wasn't alone. Angeal gently rubbed the cadet's shoulder and back like a parent did with a child who was sick. Not too long after Ryu joined in.

"Guys…I think we've got company." Kyle said twenty minutes later, never taking his eyes off the lone monster that was closing in on them.

Cloud looked up and nearly panicked. The monster was slowly prowling towards them. It was coming from the path the other group chose. The creature's height was easily six feet tall; the head looked very similar to a lion's but narrower and longer. The ears were pointed and long, pointed forward with interest of its targets.

The back was covered in shiny black fur, starting at the back of the head to the tail. The rest of it was scales that were also black. The legs were long and muscular, built for climbing, running, and jumping. Its tail was long and sturdy, perfect for balance. The paws were huge, just about the size of Cloud's head, perfectly adapted to holding onto the slippery rocks.

Its eyes were half the size of the paws, perfectly round. The glowing red glaze pierced through the blonde's deep blue ones, challenging him. The creature lowly hissed, showing off its twelve inch long fangs that could easily tear the blonde apart.

Angeal stood up, slowly reaching for his sword. The creature paid no attention at the soldier; instead it kept its gaze on Cloud, waiting for the challenge to be met. Ryu shook with fear, as he bravely stood up and put his hand on Angeal's shoulder.

"It wants to fight Cloud…" Ryu whispered as softly as he could, his eyes never left the creature.

Rude silently motioned the First Class Soldier to hand the cadet the broad sword. Reluctantly, Angeal held it out to Cloud. The blonde glanced up at the soldier, confused, but made sure to look up only with his eyes and not move his head in fear to anger the creature that waited for him to move.

"You can't fight with that miserable excuse for a gun." Angeal whispered.

Eyes back on the creature, Cloud reached for the handle of the Buster sword. He wasn't sure if he was able to hold it upright, but when both hands clutched around the handle, it felt light as a feather. Feeling confident, Cloud cautiously stood up, the creature eyeing him curiously.

Cloud raised the sword up, widening his stance. As calmly as they could, Ryu and Angeal stepped back a few paces to give the blonde some room. Rude readied one hand over his weapon in case the creature was using a trick and was actually aiming for them and not Cloud.

Both the blonde cadet and the monster slowly stepped closer. They began to circle each other, the creature's tail lashed from side to side in eagerness. Cloud's eyes blazed a bright, venomous green, retrieving the cold glare as the pupils narrowed into slits. This didn't faze the creature at all, instead it snarled as it pawed the ground anxiously.

_Kill._ The voices calmly hissed.

Cloud leaped at the monster, raising the broad sword to strike.

* * *

Shado: Yea, ended at a cliffe, but I had to! I didn't want to draw out the whole fighting scene, so I thought why not end it here where my readers are going to be overly anxious to what happens next? Oh yea, I just _**loooove~**_ cliffes. XD

1) You know the choppers the Turks used to transport the team to their destination? Think of the ones used in Avatar, they're similiar only the ones in here are meant for heavy loads and not take a bunch of soldiers to a targeted area with no doors on the sides. Plus, the one used in here is bigger than the one in Avatar.

2) I'm thinking of drawing the creature that you've just read. As of yet I have no idea what to call them...I can't call them "monster" or "creature" all the time. Help me think of a name for them!

CLICK the Review button if you don't want a monster you see here come into your house to eat you!!


	11. The Surai

Shado: Another update, another surprise! Well...not quite. There's going to be an epic surprise in the next chap.

Note: I would like to thank my beta reader for helping me out with this chap, it was hard to work with but with her help I did it!

Dislcaimer: I own nothing but the plot to entertain readers like you....is it just me or do I sound like the guy on PBS before the show starts?

**Chapter 11 **The Surai

* * *

Cissnei followed the hunting group like a shadow. If anything went wrong then she had to be in some distance away in case she had to contact Rude to bring over the aircraft for a quick escape. As a Turk, she kept herself hidden using the landscape, quick and silent steps through the boulders along the mountain side.

Meanwhile Sephiroth kept an easy pace on the path. He almost felt tempted to spring his wing out of his shoulder and scan the mountain from the air. But he wasn't sure if the Turk knew about his wing, so he put the temptation aside. Even if he did fly, there was a high possibility he may be pounced on by these monsters.

"How far do we have to go in order to find these monsters?" Zack piped up, already anxious to kick some monster butt.

"They're probably watching us right now." Genesis lazily shrugged. "The Turk did say that they watch how we fight. Maybe they like to watch how we walk to see who's the weakest to attack."

"How could they tell? I mean we're all basically strong right?" the younger soldier frowned.

"Could be anything with the way we walk in stride. For instance, the leader is always the strongest. So more often than enough, creatures that are high capability tend to attack from the rear." The general elaborated calmly.

Zack pouted. "But then that means I will be attacked!"

"Hush! Do you want them to know we're here?" Genesis harshly snapped, flicking the younger soldier's forehead.

Whining like a kicked puppy, Zack rubbed his forehead with a quivering pout. His eyes watered as they widened, giving the red soldier his best puppy look. Feeling guilty, Genesis sighed.

"I'll apologize if you manage to kill one of these monsters we're hunting down." The red soldier offered.

"Okay!" Zack grinned widely. If he had a tail it'd be wagging itself off.

Cissnei paused. She swore that something moved up ahead. She lowered herself to almost kneeling on the rocky ground, eyes scanning the area with quick precision. The female Turk was so engrossed at the scene before her she never turned her head to see something slyly slinking towards her.

Something moved a small rock, making it tumble towards her feet. Cissnei quickly veered her head just in time to see round red eyes stare back. Instead of screaming, which she almost did but held it back with a gulp, the Turk leaped back and thrust her arm to throw her shuriken at the head.

The shuriken scrapped the monster's head, making it howl with anger. Instantly the soldiers turned with weapons at hand, ready to swing their swords at their target. More like _targets_. The instant the first one howled more sprung out from behind the rocks. They crawled and leaped down from the steep mountain, baring their fangs at the soldiers below.

Cissnei easily moved to the edge of the path, shuriken at hand. She stood nearest to Zack, trusting him if she was in danger. Zack widened his stance, holding up his own Buster sword in its full glory.

Sephiroth did a head count. It was difficult to spot them. They blended well with the dark mountain, but with each swaying movement of their heads were easy enough for his sharp eyes to see them. The general counted twenty.

"Genesis, make sure to use your Blizzaga materia. I don't want an avalanche crushing us with your Firaga." Sephiroth gave the said soldier a warning glance.

"Will do." Genesis smirked.

Sephiroth's attention went back to the monsters. There was something trickling on the back of his neck. His intuition was telling him to get rid of all these monsters quickly and head back to the second group. The general had a dreadful feeling in the back of his mind. It made Sephiroth very uncomfortable with this situation.

"Zack. When they're distracted enough, run back to the second group. Be sure to tell the other Turk to contact us." Sephiroth ordered.

"But I can—"

"That's an order." The general snarled.

Biting his lip, the young soldier reluctantly nodded. The moment all of their attention was full on the monsters, the creatures leaped and attacked. Sephiroth made the first move and instantly killed one, and injured another at the flick of his Mesamune.

Genesis froze three, before swinging his sword and slicing them into tiny shards. It was the most efficient and bloodless way of killing these beasts, but it took more work. Meanwhile Zack swung his sword around like the grim reaper. His style was, although messy, fast and quick to kill them off.

Cissnei kept herself close to the men, dodging and aiming her shuriken at any throats that were exposed. The Turk managed to defeat three before she was knocked down. It was on her left side when it leaped at her.

Instinctively Cissinei curled into a tight ball, and while still holding her weapon she lashed at the throat, chest, and stomach feverishly. The creature limped off her, growling in pain from a deep wound that ran down from the chest to the stomach.

Sephiroth ended the miserable creature's life the instant it was off the Turk. Cissnei quickly got back on her feat and started fighting all over again. Meanwhile, the general faced a crowd of the monsters. They knew he was the strongest, therefore more gathered to attack him.

Taking this as his cue, Zack silently slinked away until he was clear. Zack then ran, he ran as fast as he could towards the direction of the second group. The young soldier felt his lungs burn from taking in too much cold air, still Zack pressed on.

'_I have to get there. I have to get there.'_ Zack repeated the thought over and over like a chant.

After what seemed like hours of running, Zack pulled himself to a stop when he finally reached them. He nearly screamed at what he stumbled upon.

There, some ten feet away from the aircraft, fought a lone monster against the puny Cloud. Shocked, Zack stared at cadet in surprise. The blonde was concentrating, as he swung Angeal's sword at the creature. The fight was half and half, the creature had a slight limp, a gashing wound on one of its legs. Cloud had an equal gashed wound on his upper left arm, and by the way he swung the Buster sword around he was having trouble holding the broad weapon up.

Realizing that Cloud had Angeal's sword, Zack immediately scanned for his boyfriend. The young soldier sighed when he saw his beloved standing on the sidelines, ready to jump into the fight and aid Cloud at any given moment. Zack glanced at the cadets. He stared at the guns in their shaking hands.

Then an idea hit him.

"Cadets! Shoot at the thing's eyes!" Zack called out.

Gathering his wits, Kyle raised his gun and started shooting as ordered. The eyes were huge, making them easy targets. Kyle put two bullets through each eye for good measure. The big cadet then nodded curtly at Zack.

"Good! Now, Cloud, when I turn its attention at me, you whack its nose! Make sure to use the sharp edge of the sword!" the young soldier shouted, swinging his sword at the beast's hindquarters.

Cloud watched as the creature turned its head back and forth. It couldn't decide which mortal to attack. When the head paused, Cloud swung his weapon with great difficulty. His left arm was just about left for dead, but the blonde drew all of his strength and aimed it at the shiny black nose.

The creature stepped back, blood dripping from its nose and eyes. Unable to see or smell, the creature lowered with belly on the ground. Its ears were perked, listening in for the rhythm of an injured mortal. Angeal cautiously stepped closer, unsure just what the monster was doing. He'd never seen this behavior before.

"What should we do? Take it in for Hojo?" Zack pondered out loud.

"That could be a possibility. But I've never seen one surrender like this." Angeal stopped a good five feet away from the monster.

Cloud handed the sword back to the first class soldier. The blonde cautiously stepped back, limping as he walked. Angeal held his sword tightly, furrowing his eyebrows when he saw the sharp ears eagerly pointed forward the cadet.

"Wait." Angeal ordered.

An instant the blonde cadet stilled. His body tensed, ready to dodge or run at a moment's notice. Cloud was scared, and confused. His instincts told him two very different things. One way he was to stay perfectly still. The second was to run, run off the cliff. Right now the first instinct was the safest.

Yet Cloud couldn't ignore the pull, this strong and heavy pull to jump. Somehow, the thought of flying entered the cadet's mind. He didn't know where flying came from, but the urge grew into an intense tug, like the gravitational pull of the planet's circular motion around the sun.

_Jump._ The voices told him.

'_No…'_ Cloud bit his lip.

_You'll survive. Jump now._ The voices pressed on.

'_I'm scared.'_ The blonde replied, his body shivered in fear.

_Jump! Go! _A violent ripple pulsed through Cloud's body. The voices were violent again, but this time white hot anger rushed through his veins.

Cloud's vision blurred, he thought it was the voices. Or maybe his eyes were watering as he did his best to keep himself in control. His control was in vain when the monster launched itself at him. Screaming Cloud bolted to the edge of the cliff without thinking. Gunshots rang in his ears, but the blonde cadet paid no attention to his friends firing at the monster.

"Cloud!" Zack shouted as he watched the said blonde nearly stumbling over the cliff.

Angeal lashed at the monster, his attack missed by a hair. The commander growled at himself and ran after the beast. He stopped when something white and covered in feathers flapped. It took mere seconds for Angeal to realize that the _something_ happened to be a white _wing._ Wait, make that _two wings_. The commander nearly fainted in shock.

It was just as Tseng suspected, Cloud was one of the beloved sons of a goddess. Angeal watched in horror as the beast took hold of one wing in its lethal jaws. The horrid, blood curling scream echoed through the dark mountain. Wasting precious time, Angeal rapidly attacked. His own wing made itself known as he aimed for the beast's neck.

With a single swing of his broad sword, Angeal let out a howling battle cry. In an instant the monster let go of the captured angel, just about to turn and snap its fangs at the soldier. Determined, Angeal was too quick and the monster's head tumbled down the cliff.

Satisfied in his victory, the white winged commander immediately threw his sword to the ground and reached for the struggling cadet. Cloud's right wing was severely damaged, feathers bent or missing, blood dripping and staining the once pure wing. Ignoring the poor sight, Angeal grabbed hold of Cloud's waist and gently pulled him back to the ground.

The blonde cadet continued to struggle. All he could feel was the pain, the searing pain that gripped his body like a vine choking on a seedling. Cloud thrashed with his arms and legs, his good wing flapping furiously. His body was desperately trying to escape. To escape from memories that was rushing through his mind all at once. Too much information, too many memories, too many past emotions drowned Cloud.

Rude ran to the aircraft to grab the first aid kit, it wasn't any of the normal kind. The bag was packed with a few sedatives, morphine, bandages, and the usual cleansing alcohol to clean the wound. At the moment the bald Turk wasn't sure if the liquid would be of some help. They were in the middle of a mountain that was infested with monsters.

When the bald Turk reached the still frantic cadet, he seemed a little calmer. This time Cloud wasn't thrashing, instead he was trembling. The blonde was curled up in a tight ball, his left wing folded around him like a protective blanket. Meanwhile his injured wing was lying out as it continued to bleed.

Zack and Angeal were trying to calm the blonde, while the two remaining cadets stared up at the mountain in case any of those other monsters were to attack.

"Zack…I r-remember…I'm from the Ancient City in the north. Those monsters…the Surai…they killed my mother…" Cloud whispered hoarsely.

"Surai…?" Angeal repeated.

"What the hell happened?" a calm voice spoke up.

"Sephiroth, we need to leave now. Cadet Strife is injured." Angeal instantly stood up.

Being weak, Cloud leaned on Zack's shoulder. The memories have calmed and the blonde no longer felt that he was going to explode. But that didn't help fill in the grief he had for the loss of his mother.

Rude examined the wing carefully, not too long after he reached the blonde with the aid kit he gave Cloud a shot that would calm him. The Turk wasn't really fond of drugging a cadet, but he needed the blonde to remain calm.

"Wait, Cloud, you remember everything?" Zack whispered, hoping the general wouldn't hear.

Sephiroth ignored Zack. He couldn't help but stare at the blonde cadet with two white wings. It wasn't until Cissnei blocked his view did he snap out of his shocked trance. The general took a glance at Zack, who was still talking to Cloud.

"—so those things are called the 'Surai'?"

"Mhm. It means 'sly', which they are. Their leader is about twice the size of the rest, and he has the ability to talk. They…they can sniff out who's the savior, and the women who gave birth to us. That's why…" Cloud trailed off, he didn't have the heart to.

"Keep him talking. I may have drugged him to keep the cadet calm, but it'd be best if he talks to you." Rude said.

"So…they attacked your city in the north, you had to escape and you somehow lost your memory along the way?" Zack encouraged, trying to avoid Cloud loosing his mother topic.

"I was riding a chocobo full speed to the south. I didn't know where I was going, and yet I urged the bird to move faster. When we reached this field…the chocobo tripped and I fell on my head. That was how I lost my memory." Cloud elaborated.

Cissnei bit her lip. "Rude, I don't think that wing could be saved."

Rude said nothing. The bald Turk continued to examine the wing. He had noticed the wing was broken in two different places, which was the reason why it was curved oddly. Cissnei may be right.

"We can't move him until we take that wing off." Rude said dryly.

"What!? You can't take it off! Can't you see he's one of the angels!?" Genesis roared.

"Gen, calm down." Angeal sighed. "Look at the cadet. Do you want him to suffer from his wing all the way back to Midgar? Even if we do, it'd be too late to save it anyway."

"But he's the first of us that has two wings! Well, you have a wing and a half. That tiny thing under your main wing doesn't count as one." The red soldier retorted.

"Enough, both of you." Sephiroth glared at the two commanders. "Turk, what's the probability of saving that wing?"

"Very low. And we don't have enough morphine to ease the pain for the whole trip." Rude answered truthfully.

"Maybe if we should ask him first…?" Ryu squeaked.

Everyone standing stared at the young runt.

"It's his wing…" Ryu added. "And so it should be his decision."

"Cloud? What do you say, should we take the wing off, or leave it?" Zack timidly asked.

The blonde, who was just about to fall asleep, raised his head. His eyes opened half way, obviously tired. Cloud gazed up at Zack, who repeated the question. For a few moments the blonde stared at the broken and bleeding wing.

"Take it off." Cloud boldly said.

Rude stood up. "General, I believe this is your department. You're the only one who could cut it off with one, clean slice."

Sensing fear amongst the young men, Cissnei urged the two cadets into the aircraft. If there was any interference, Sephiroth would loose concentration. Kyle grumbled angrily as he stepped into the helicopter, sitting back in the seat he sat during their flight. Ryu silently sat in his seat, still agitated.

Cissnei turned to the others. "Zack, I don't think you should be there."

"But—"

"Come on pup. I don't think you should be here either." Before Zack could protest, Angeal picked him up and settled him over his shoulder.

"But he's my friend! He's my underling! Surely you'd feel that you should be by his side if I was him! Angeal, please!" Zack begged.

"I would be by your side, if you were him, pup. But this is for your own good, as well as Cadet Strife's. Sephiroth can't have any distractions." Angeal pointed out.

The young soldier whimpered, lashing with his fists and feet at his boyfriend's chest and back. "Why can't I be by his side?! He's my friend damn it!"

"Cissnei, would you do the honors?" Angeal sighed.

"Wait, what are you—"

Cissnei pinched a nerve on the back of Zack's neck. The young soldier instantly went limb, completely knocked out.

"I'm sorry, pup." Angeal stepped into the aircraft and settled Zack in his lap.

"Here. Give him one dose when he's done." Rude handed the needle to Genesis, who took Zack's place by Cloud.

Genesis nodded, taking the offered needle and glanced at the blonde. He felt horrible for doing this. He had a wing, but never had two. At first he thought himself as a monster, until Sephiroth and Angeal told him he was one of the beloved sons of a goddess. This brought Genesis back from his self hatred and started to love and care for his oddly shaped wing.

Now they were to take away a wing from Cloud, who was the one the goddess loved most. Genesis read everything he could about the legend. He found that the oldest and youngest sons were the sons the goddess loved the most. Of course, Genesis envied the two. He at first thought it was Angeal, until he read a particular line where the two sons had two wings. And the rest had one.

"Do you think the wing could somehow grow back?" Genesis looked up at his love.

"Could be a possibility, but we'll have to wait and see. I'm not fond of doing this myself." Sephiroth grimaced, holding his sword over the injured wing.

"May I ask something?" Cloud spoke up.

"Permission granted." The general nodded.

"When we're done here, can we head to Nibelheim? I know where to find the first angel, the Fallen One. We have to go to him." The blonde requested.

"We can't head for Nibelheim with you seriously injured, cadet." Sephiroth reasoned coldly.

"I have to wake him up. He's in a coma, my mother told me how to find him. Please, we need to go to Nibelheim." Cloud said. "Look, it has nothing to do with my family there, its just that I'm the only one he would recognize."

"You've met him?" Genesis tilted his head curiously.

"No. But he would recognize me through my mother. I look exactly like her, only she doesn't have spiky hair." The blonde explained. "He might attack or cower if anyone else woke him up."

"Then all the more reason why we can't go to Nibelheim. He might attack you." Sephiroth glared.

Genesis knew that glare. Sephiroth was protective of Cloud, even more now that the blonde was one of them. The general has already claimed Cloud in his mind, he wanted no room for anyone else to involve into what was his.

"How about this, we ask one of the Turks to investigate. You can tell Cissnei how to find him, and she'll wake him up." Genesis offered. "He won't attack women, right?"

"He…well no."

"Then it's settled." The red soldier smiled. "Now lean towards me, and make sure your shoulder is away from the wing as much as possible."

Cloud did as he was told, the pain was almost unbearable. But the calming drug was still in effect, and he was glad for it. The blonde cadet leaned his head on Genesis' shoulder, shutting his eyes as tightly as possible, tuning the world out.

_You wouldn't have to loose that wing if you had jumped!_ The voices scolded.

'_You're not helping.'_ Cloud scowled.

_Look at you, you're going to be like one of them. You won't be the one who saves the human race. Or even protect the last of us Cetra, you're a failure._ The voices continued to hiss at the blonde.

'_I'm not a failure!'_ Cloud trembled.

Sephiroth raised his sword, eyeing the joint where the wing met shoulder blade. He paused when he saw the blonde tremble, something tugged on the back of his mind like a cobweb pulling on his skin. Something was wrong.

"Cadet?"

The blonde murmured something. The general couldn't quite hear what was said. And by the confused expression on Genesis, he didn't catch what Cloud said either.

"Seph, go ahead. They're waiting for us." Genesis urged.

_You won't be the loved one anymore. You'll be like the others. You have failed._ The voices taunted.

'_Shut up! I don't care about being loved by Minerva, I don't care!'_ Cloud whimpered.

_How dare you say such a thing! The Goddess created you to be strong, and you ruined yourself! Ruined yourself! You have displeased her!_ The voices screamed.

'_Leave me alone!'_

_We can never leave you alone, you are the son of a Cetra, one of us. As long as you live, you will always hear us._ They hissed.

"No…" Cloud shook his head. "Get out of my head."

Genesis stared at the cadet in his arms. He glanced up at the general, a mix of shock and horror was shown in his expression. Sephiroth sheathed his sword and quickly picked the cadet up bridal style. Genesis stood up, following the distraught general.

"What are you doing?"

"Something's wrong." Sephiroth replied dryly. "He's hearing voices, which isn't good."

"Of course it isn't! But if we bring him to Hojo, he'll only experiment on him! The poor boy has had enough to deal with remembering he lost his mother some time ago!" Genesis pleaded.

"And what do you think we should do? Leave Shinra, find the Fallen One, then run and hide from Shinra?!" Sephiroth gave his love a cold, harsh glare.

Genesis stopped in his tracks. "That's not a bad idea actually."

"What did I just hear?" Angeal poked his head out from the helicopter.

"Genesis thinks we should abandon Shinra, find the last angel and run and hide." Sephiroth elaborated.

"And you're doing this because…?" the dark haired commander raised an eyebrow.

"Think about it, if we bring Cloud back to Shinra, all they'll do is experiment on him. No one but Tseng knows of us being the three of five saviors, and Cloud is one of the favored sons. We bring him to Shinra, he'll be altered." Genesis reasoned.

By now the Turks were beside Angeal, shocked of what they had just heard. Rude adjusted his shades and returned to his co-pilot seat. Cissnei continued to stare at the two men standing outside the aircraft.

"Wait how about we keep an eye on him. If Hojo does try anything, we run. Meanwhile, what about the Fallen One? How are we going to find him?" Angeal crossed his arms.

"We thought we could send a Turk to wake him up. The cadet said something about Nibelheim." Sephiroth enlightened.

"Such as where in Nibelheim?" Cissnei spoke up.

"Cloud didn't say. And are you planning to go?" Genesis remarked slyly.

"I know of you three being the angels. Tseng warned me that something might happen on this mission that involved the legend." The female Turk stepped out of the aircraft.

"Then we'll drop you by Nibelheim on the way to Midgar. We'll just say you found something suspicious and decided to investigate." Sephiroth planned out, handing the cadet to Genesis.

"I have to give him a sedative. It's the best way he can travel without any pain." The general said.

Nodding, the red soldier strode into the helicopter and sat down. He set Cloud so he was leaning on him at the end so his injured wing would be safe from bumping into something on the trip. The blonde trembled, tuning out the voices as best he could. Cloud didn't even notice Sephiroth leaning over him, or the sharp pinch of the needle entering his arm.

Then slowly, Cloud slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Shado: And once again, I end it with another cliffe. As explained in the previous chapter, I looooove~ cliffes. Keeps you guys on your toes. But the good news is that Cloud finally showed his wings! The bad news is...he won't be the star in the next chap. In fact he'll come back in chapter 13. Chapter 12 is gonna be all~ about the "Fallen One".

I know some of you may have already guessed who the "Fallen One" is, but for some who still don't know, I suggest you either patiently wait til the next chap or carefully go over the chapter that explains about each angel. I think that was chapter 3? If not then its one of the early chapters.

1) I just remembered, the "Goddess", or the "Divine One" has been revealed. Yes, it is Minerva, the Goddess that Genesis had a serious thing for in the game...kinda odd but I couldn't think of any other goddess to use in this fanfic, it was either Minerva or the goddess in Dissidia...which I kinda forgot her name. It's been too long since I last played it. It was highly tempting to use the one in Dissidia, but then it'd be kinda like a crossover, right? So I turned that thought down and decided on Minerva.

Now, without further ado, the button below beckons your mouse to click it!


	12. Rude Awakening

Shado: Ugh...I meant to update this _two weekends ago _but my laptop decided to have yet _another_ mental breakdown and I couldn't do _anything_. The alternatives were A) use my mom's computer B) have my dad reload the whole computer and loose _everything_ I've worked on, including getting my hands on Sony Vegas 8 from a friend who sent it through via e-mail C) wait it out and see if my dad found something else that works.

Naturally, C happened. Now I have another antivirus on my computer and it's working just fine. And all thanks go to my beta reader for all the support. I hope this chap is good enough for you guys since I had to make all of you wait a while.

Disclaimer: If I owned FFVII, wouldn't you think this would have happened instead? Yea, thought not.

**Chapter 12 **Rude Awakening

* * *

"We're reaching Nibelheim. Are you sure you want to do this?" Rude gave his temporary partner a worried stare.

Even with the shades on, Cissnei could see the troubled hint in his eyes. Sighing, the female Turk glanced out the window to watch as they came closer to the back-water town. She held a grim expression, she wasn't sure if she wanted to do this. But Cissnei understood that the four angels on board needed the "Fallen One". And it was better her than Rude, who was better at flying their aircraft alone than Cissnei ever could.

"I'm sure." The female Turk nodded.

It had been almost three hours since they left the dark mountain. Dusk was upon them, and it would take until midnight for the aircraft to arrive at Midgar. At least two to three and a half hours if Rude flew full speed. With another heavy sigh, Cissnei gazed over her shoulder to check on the blonde cadet.

To her disappointment Cloud was still asleep. The general said that the cadet knew how to find and wake up the Fallen One, but she hasn't been able to obtain the information. During their whole trip Cloud had been sleeping, and it didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon.

"Cissnei."

Snapping out of her reverie, the female Turk concentrated on her flying. The two Turks glanced at the ground below for a safe place to land. Rude spotted one, pointing it out to Cissnei before they passed the patch that was big enough for the aircraft.

It was almost a complete circle, surrounded by trees. Carefully hovering over the patch of meadow, Cissnei safely landed the helicopter. Once the blades stopped, the female Turk took off the heavy headphones and unstrapped the seat belt. She stood up and made her way to one of the sliding doors.

"Is your cell phone fully charged?" Angeal spoke up, refraining from a yawn.

"Yes. And just in case I have a charger, and an extra battery." Cissnei nodded.

The female Turk then opened the door, trying to be as quiet as possible since the cadets and the youngest soldier were still asleep. At the beginning of their ride Ryu and Kyle fell asleep, tired from the day's events. And Cissnei couldn't blame them. As for Zack, well, he was just a heavy sleeper.

"Make sure to keep yourself unknown. Women in suits aren't something people in the north are fond of. In many cases women are considered as dogs, to continue the life of humanity, and nothing else." Genesis warned.

"Then I'll make sure to wander around at night." Cissnei replied curtly.

"I'll make sure to tell Tseng where you are." Rude spoke up, taking the female Turk's spot in the pilot seat.

Cissnei nodded, and stepped out of the helicopter. She was nervous for taking the challenge of finding the first angel, and doing it alone with no hints to where he was. It irked her that she was in unfamiliar territory, and she had to search during the wee hours of the night. But she knew that whoever this first angel was, he was deeply needed for the younger four.

"Make sure he's in good health." Cissnei said to the general, referring to Cloud.

Surprised, Sephiroth nodded. Turks rarely showed any emotion to a cadet. Take Tseng for example; on the outside the Wutainese demonstrated no emotion to any cadet or runt. The general wasn't sure what Tseng was like when he wasn't at work with the serious mask on, he never bothered to befriend the Turk. Maybe it was a woman's sense to care for others, even if Cissnei was raised under the Turks.

Closing the door, Cissnei tapped the aircraft's side to let Rude know he can take off. Within moments, the engine was back on and the blades twirled. Making sure she was a safe distance away, Cissnei watched the aircraft hover above the ground a few moments.

She could see Rude silently saluted her through the window, before he raised the helicopter and head south. Biting her lip, Cissnei slowly grasped the idea that she was truly alone. The female Turk didn't mind being alone, but it still irked her that she was in the middle of a back-water town with no help to reach her within miles.

"Pull yourself together. You've had worse missions than this." She told herself.

One arm across her stomach, hand on her upper arm Cissnei slowly made her way towards the tiny town. She wasn't going to enter Nibelheim itself, she needed to check for any abandoned houses. To find the Fallen One, her best chance was to inspect any place she can without attracting attention. She wasn't sure where she came up with the idea of abandoned houses, but it was just one small hunch.

After all she can't wander around into houses that were occupied. So she might as well investigate any location she could. The moment she set eyes on the town, she realized that this part of it was heavily populated. Just about every building had lights on, the ground glimmering from the amber light.

"Hm…maybe I should check the less populated part of Nibelheim." Cissnei pressed her lips together.

Silently the female Turk silently made her way around the populated area and towards the other half of Nibelheim. There she found the same as the rest of Nibelheim. Frowning, Cissnei leaned against the rocky hell side in thought.

She could check the country side of the Nibelheim area, but she would have to walk further south. It would take too much time and Cissnei would become lost while walking in complete darkness. With a sigh, the female Turk silently made her way down the road, mindlessly heading towards one of the mako reactors.

Along the way she happened to gaze up and see with the last bit of sunset that there was an old mansion. Cissnei could see there were a few broken windows, and the roof hadn't been fixed in years. She then almost jumped with excitement, of course, why didn't she think of it earlier? Shinra Manor hadn't been occupied in over two decades!

Taking advantage of the last bit of light, Cissnei ran to the old mansion's grounds. She was prevented when the old gates were locked together. Stamping her foot in agitation, Cissnei pulled out a hairpin from her hair. She didn't use it for her hair specifically; it was one of the advantages of being a woman.

Carefully, Cissnei picked at the lock. Way back when she was a Turk runt, they taught her the basics of picking a lock whether it is the old fashioned one or the more technological one. And one of the easiest tricks to pick the old fashioned locks was a hairpin. Within two minutes there was a small _clank_ and the gates were free.

Smiling to herself, Cissnei put her hairpin back in her hair and pushed at the gates. They made a sickly creak and groan, as if they were protesting to be opened. Still the Turk pressed on and opened the gates just enough for her to slip through. Once on the other side she closed the gates behind her.

Keeping herself in a calm pace, Cissnei made her way into the old manor. She heard stories of it back in Shinra, how Hojo used it when he supposedly found an Ancient in Nibelheim. And how it was one of the last buildings that a legendary Turk resided before he went missing in action, now presumably dead after all these years.

So naturally, Shinra presumed him to be dead. It was a tragic loss for the Turks. Cissnei never met him; she wasn't even born when all of this was going on. Still, she couldn't help but look up to the legendary Turk. It was one of the few times she looked up to someone.

The first few steps into the manor, Cissnei paused when she felt a tickling sensation in her nose. Wrinkling her nose, Cissnei leaned over and sneezed. The dust was heavy in the air, after being unoccupied for so long the dust collected itself on the floor and in the air. The air was stuffy, and the Turk felt the urge to sneeze again.

"Maybe if I open a few windows…?" Cissnei asked herself. "Oh wait, a door would be better…the back door should be enough."

And casually the female Turk headed to the rear part of the manor. Upon her search she found a kitchen, which strangely had a door to the backyard. With much difficulty, since the door was made of metal, Cissnei managed to open it to let at least some of the dust out. When the door opened it created a dust cloud, making her sneeze three times in a row.

"Ugh, next time I'll bring tissues. I doubt there will be any still around in this place." Cissnei frowned.

Now she had another problem. The sun was gone, and now the Turk had to rely on the dim light her cell phone was able to offer. Biting her lip Cissnei weighed her options. She could continue her search in the dark, or she could find a comfortable bed somewhere and continue in the morning. Right now the latter sounded better.

Cissnei was tired, and once she had a good night's sleep she could start with a fresh mind. And not to mention she would have more light and not waste her phone's battery. Although it took her nearly forty five minutes, the Turk finally found a bed with no monster floating around in the room.

She had decided to check on the second floor, which held more bedrooms than the first floor which was more office work with the addition of a kitchen and a huge dinning hall. With a yawn, Cissnei reluctantly laid herself over the creaky bed and fell asleep right when her head met the pillow.

* * *

In the morning Cissnei cracked an eye open. She found herself curled up on her side, a position she normally didn't wake up in. When she sat up she knew why. The bed was so old it made her back tense and cramps itself into knots. A soft groan escaped her as Cissnei stood up, rubbing her lower back.

"Hm, at least I had enough sleep." Cissnei told herself with a yawn.

Taking a few moments to stretch herself, she managed to pop her back and it immediately felt better. At least it eased the pain a little. And when she was done Cissnei felt much better, just a tad bit sore from the old springs in the bed.

Her stomach made itself known with a growl.

Rubbing her middle, Cissnei frowned. "I don't think there's going to be food here…even if there is, I doubt it'd be food anymore."

Suppressing her hunger, the Turk began her search again. Now that she could see where she was going, Cissnei decided to check a particular room she wanted to check the night before. It was on the second floor, just at the other end of the hallway from her bedroom.

Upon walking in, she found a lab. Cissnei tensed, sensing something was off about it. In the middle of the lab there was a table, some sort of operating mechanism, computers and shelves of some sorts surrounding the room. Then opposite of the door stood three human sized glass cases. Next to it was a brick wall, and a wooden door some three feet away from the wall.

On closer examination the wall was circular, which seemed odd. Out of everything in this room, that wall was out of place. Cissnei stepped closer, examining it with her hands. The Turk felt the surfaces change. One part was smooth, while the rest was rough and hard to the touch. Cissnei felt around even more, and found that the smooth surface created the shape of a door.

"He…created a secret door…?" Cissnei tilted her head in thought. "Then how do I open it?"

By accident she pressed too hard against the wall and it turned full circle. A shriek escaped Cissnei before she could comprehend what was happening. When it stopped the Turk found herself on the other side. Cissnei took a few minutes to gather her wits and explore her new surroundings.

The Turk found that she couldn't go anywhere but down. Cissnei hoped the ladder was still sturdy enough to use. The ladder didn't even creak as she carefully descended down. When she glanced around, Cissnei stumbled upon a wide basement made of mostly dirt. Columns were spread about equally to support the ceiling and most likely half of the manor just as well.

A hiss caught Cissnei's attention. She turned and faced three bat-like monsters. They each had one eye, big enough to be the size of her head. Holding back a sigh, the Turk raised her shuriken and aimed.

The defeat of the three monsters took some time, for they kept aiming to either petrify or poison Cissnei. Because of the constant attacks the Turk had to stop her own attack by dodging or rolling away. Now and then she kicked one of them if they happened to be close enough. All in all, they went down with a tumble.

Cissnei's stomach growled when the work was done. Because she fought her body demanded to obtain more energy to keep going. Pouting at her stomach, Cissnei tapped it lightly.

"Oh, hush. If I manage to find some clothes fit to disguise myself, then I'll go to town for food." The Turk told herself.

Her stomach grumbled in protest.

Ignoring her hunger again, Cissnei was about to turn and check one of the rooms to the side when something caught her eye. Something was lying where one of the monsters fell. Curious, Cissnei knelt down and picked them up. It was four sets of keys.

"Why would monsters be using keys?"

Cissnei found her answer when she walked into a room full of coffins. There were four in a row; each had a keyhole that fit perfectly with the keys the Turk won from the monsters. She opened one and nearly screamed when the top came off with a boom. Crawling around her feet were three oversized bugs.

Dispatching the bugs in less than a minute (really all she had to do was kick them and they run away screaming) and she tried the second coffin. Bang! It was the same surprise as the first one. Groaning, Cissnei kicked them. The poor creatures cried as they crawled away in fear.

By the third coffin Cissnei braced herself as she turned the key. Instead of a bang, she heard soft, almost inaudible snoring. Gathering all of her strength, Cissnei pushed the top off. The Turk stared at the sleeping figure inside the coffin.

He had pale skin, not ghostly or sickly, but still too pale to Cissnei's comfort. The figure was clad in black leather, and some sort of red cloth as a cloak. Covering the boots were golden plates that pointed at the toes, and a golden claw over his left hand. Framing his face was long, black hair with a red scarf wrapped over his forehead to partially tame his bangs out of the perfectly triangular face.

Cissnei almost had the urge to snap her fingers over his face, or even gently run a hand through the seemingly soft hair, but she took a few steps back instead. The Turk gasped when red eyes snapped open and gazed at her. Not a second later the once sleeping man leaped out of the coffin and aimed to rake Cissnei with his claw.

Instinctively the female Turk rolled to the side. While she was on the ground, the man lashed at her back with his claw again. Seeing his attack, Cissnei twirled around and kicked him right in the jaw. He jumped back with a growl. Feeling over where he was hit to make sure nothing was broken. That was when he reached for his gun. Cissnei gasped and ran for one of the coffins to use as cover.

She heard the loud cracking of the gun as it fired. Seeing that the coffins were good cover, the gunman maneuvered his way around and leapt at the Turk. Cissnei was barely able to gasp when the claw latched around her throat. The female Turk clutched onto the metal hand in vain to pull him off. The gunman growled, straddling her with ease while Cissnei stopped struggling.

"Now tell me, what could Shinra possibly want with me now?" A smooth, baritone voice growled in her ear.

"Ngh! N—nothing…Shinra…has nothing to do with this…!" Cissnei managed to gasp out.

"Then why are you here?" The deep voice snarled, his claw pressed harder around her neck.

"The other…four angels…" The female Turk barely whispered out.

At the mention of the angels, his grip lessoned around her neck. But the claw remained where it was, just not crushing Cissnei's windpipe. The female Turk coughed as she gasped in much needed air. Cissnei's hands remained where they were, gripping the golden arm in vain. Once her breathing settled down, the gunman demanded for her to explain.

"We were on a mission, to find the nests of these monsters…the Surai, and destroy them with one shot. It was with the strongest of SOLDIER, with a few cadets to stay behind as backup and protect the aircraft. But we couldn't find the nest, the Surai attempted to push us over the cliff, so we ran back to the cadets."

Angels. So Vincent was in the coffin for some time now.

"Who are the angels?" He carefully asked.

"They are Commanders Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsodos, General Sephiroth Crescent and Cadet Cloud Strife." Cissnei said all in one breath.

The intense red eyes stared at her when she mentioned the general's name. He seemed taken aback, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. In fact he seemed almost frightened of the mention of the general.

"Is…something wrong?" Cissnei wondered out loud. Immediately she felt like slapping herself, if she provoked him then he just might rip her head off.

He ignored her anxiety. "You sure that the general is one…?"

"That's what my boss, Tseng said." Another slip up, mentioning the Head Turk's name but since this man was an angel; he wouldn't kill off Tseng, right?

He frowned. "…Assuming you're telling the truth, which of them is blonde?"

"The cadet. Why?" Cissnei gazed up at the man curiously.

"What does this cadet look like?" He questioned, he knew two of the angels through their mothers. The gunman had to make sure…

"Cadet Strife is short; he has blue eyes and blonde hair. His hair is spiked like a chocobo's." Cissnei quickly added the last part.

"Hm…" This cadet reminded him of the young girl who tried to wake him up some years back.

_Flashback_

Vincent had slipped into a coma some days before, just after he experienced the worst shock of his life. He had woken up, somehow taller, and deadlier than he last remembered. One of his hands was now a claw, and although he was grateful it wasn't his gun hand, it still frightened him.

Since then Hojo kept Vincent strictly in the glass tube, floating lifelessly in the mako that drifted him back to sleep. He would have slain the scientist at first sight, but Vincent was still too stressed over his situation.

Then, while he was dreaming of what used to be, the days he was happy and normal. The days he had found love, or he thought he found love. It was all confusing now, so those threatening thoughts never crossed his dreams. Then he heard small, delicate hands pounding the glass of his tube. At first he ignored it, and attempted to return to the days before everything turned against him. But the pounded continued, becoming more frustrated as he slept on.

Finally Vincent had enough, and took a peek at who ever disturbed his sleep. His eyes widened when he met wide, blue eyes that seemed to beg for help. She had long, curly blonde hair that framed her pale face. The young woman seemed to be short; the top of her head just barely reached his middle, even though he was floating.

"Vincent, please, help me!" the soft voice screamed at him.

_Did I know her?_

She shook her head. "No, we've never met, but I know you through my connection to the Lifestream. I'm a Cetra, you see."

_A Cetra? Then she can hear the Lifestream. _Vincent guessed.

"And thoughts. So long I can concentrate." She added softly.

_That can explain a lot._ The ex—Turk felt tempted to snort, but with him being in a tube of mako he didn't want to involuntarily swallow some down his throat.

_Who are you?_ Vincent couldn't help but ask.

"I'm Valkyrie Ishihiatto." She said, her free hand rubbing the barely noticeable bump in her lower belly.

"Hojo somehow found me and my friend, Ifalna, the last of the Cetra. Over the years he experimented on us, and Ifalna managed to run away. But after all of that, Hojo impregnated me. I have no idea who the father is. But I do know that my baby is a son…one of the angels." She trailed off.

_One of the angels? You mean the same as me?_ Vincent couldn't help but feel hopeful to some extent. Then he remembered his wings were stripped away, replaced by demon wings that made him appear as a monster.

"Please, Vincent, I need your help!" she pleaded, tears flowing down her cheeks.

_Why? I have failed Lucrecia and her child. What makes you think I can do anything for you and your son?_ Vincent coldly questioned her judgment.

"Please! I beseech you. You are one of the angels, just like my unborn son! I wish for you to protect him. Please, Vincent Valentine! My son, my son!" She screamed, hammering the glass with her fists vehemently.

_Why come to me? I have failed her. If I can't protect her, then I can't be of much help for you._

"Because…because deep down, you seek redemption! You may deny it now, but you will soon seek it!" Valkyrie cried.

_Why should I?_

"Because Lucrecia is dead, and her son, your son, is being raised by Hojo! I've tried to talk to him, to make him see that Hojo is telling him lies about the identity of his mother. I've tried everything I could to get through to him, but he's so lost he wouldn't listen to me. He's your son, Vincent, your son!" she whimpered.

_Then it's too late for him. Go away. If I couldn't be of any help to him, then I am no help to your son. Leave me in peace._

"But I need your help! I beseech you, Vincent Valentine, if not for me then for my unborn son! He needs all the help he can get. I fear he will crumble when he faces his destiny!" She shrieked, pounding her fists even more against the glass.

"Vincent—"

Then the door to the lab opened, revealing a distraught Hojo. The scientist cursed loudly, before stamping his way to the frightened blonde. She screamed, struggling weakly as he pulled her away.

"You little bitch, I'll teach you not to run away and interfere with one of my best experiment." Hojo snarled evilly.

"Vincent! _Vincent_!"

The ex—Turk promptly fell into his dreams.

_End of Flashback_

Vincent wasn't sure whether he regretted his decision, or maybe if he had done what he meant to have done as a Turk. Then again he was no longer part of the Turk agency. He would have to see the cadet in person to see how he felt. Taking in a deep breath, the gunman crawled off the female Turk and calmly stood up. Cissnei sat up, not daring to get on her feet in case he changed his mind.

"I believe you." He said.

"Then…then will you come with me to Midgar? The others have already landed by now. We had to abort the mission because Cadet Strife was heavily injured. One of his wings was torn by the Surai, and for some reason the general didn't want to cut it off yet." Cissnei explained as she stood up.

The gunman blinked. The general didn't want to cut the wing off? At first Vincent thought that his supposed _son_ would fall under Jenova's control by now. Maybe there was some hope for his redemption of his lost family yet.

"The…Surai, what are they really?"

"They're monsters that are specifically created to bring down the angels. Just before he fell asleep, Cloud said the Surai could sniff out the five saviors and their mothers. He says that was how his mother died." The female Turk elaborated.

Great, another woman died because he chose not to do a thing when he could have. Vincent nearly growled at the thought. He needed to stop thinking so negatively, or else he just might drive himself to jump over a cliff and end his life then and there. Not that he could die from such an action, now that he had demons residing the back of his mind. Again he needed to stop wandering off in thoughts.

Vincent turned, studying Cissnei carefully.

"Yes." He curtly nodded.

Not even bothering to hide a smile, Cissnei thanked him. It felt foreign to Vincent. He hadn't made a woman smile in years. The gunman never got to see Valkyrie smile. Now it was too late.

_I need to stop thinking such thoughts._ He mentally slapped himself.

"What's your name?" Vincent asked in a relaxed tone.

"Cissnei of the Turks." Her stomach growled and her face colored instantly.

He was amused. "Let's find some food for you." Vincent turned and made his way outside the room and towards the ladder. Cissnei followed, still blushing from her stomach's introduction.

"May I ask who you are?" She tentatively asked.

"Ex—Turk Vincent Valentine."

Cissnei nearly stumbled in shock.

* * *

Shado: There. Added a little humor there at the end. xD

1) Valkyrie Ishihiatto: Well, you might wonder why I gave Cloud's mother such a name. But I couldn't really find a name for her, so I thought, if she was a Cetra, and she knew of the angels, including her unborn son being one, why not something a little unique? The name Valkyrie, I don't think I have to explain. As for Ishihiatto, it means "Ice Heart" in Japanese. And no, she's not what her last name suggests, but it refers more to her eyes.

2) Vincent's attitude. You're probably thinking "What the hell!? Why didn't he help poor Cloud???" Well...at the time he already gave up. That, and his mind was still too much into the Turk mode, cut off everything but your job. But when you fail at that and everything else, Vincent gave up. Now that he's awake (after some years in a coma) he's regained a little bit of his lost humanity.

So, I hope you enjoyed. Now, the Review button demands for you to cliiiick it.


	13. The Traitors of Minerva

Shado: Ugh...I've been neglecting my stories haven't I? I'm really sorry, I've been going through some Star Testing and we're finally done after some confusing class schedules and an annoying art teacher getting on my case of taking my time on a project. I meant to update this chap this past Monday, but I got distracted with our first blue ray player, and guess what? I can finally watch FF7 Advent Children Complete, and its epic!

All Thanks to my beta reader for helping me get through my author's block, and a lil bit of a plot problem. xD

Diclaimer: If I was the owner of FF, wouldn't this story happen instead? Plus I don't know much Japanese to begin with.

**Chapter 13 **The Traitors of Minerva

* * *

"Oi! We need a stretcher, injured comrade over here!" Zack yelled at the Turks who stood nearby the helicopter that had just landed in Midgar.

One of the men in fancy suits nodded, before leaving to call in the nurses. Feeling secured that the medical team will come by, Zack peered back at his cadet. Cloud had been asleep a good part of the trip, once in a while he woke up for barely two minutes before falling back asleep. Angeal guessed that the cadet's body was still unsure how to react to an injured wing.

Not to mention that just hours before did they notice something was definitely wrong. Cloud's face was flushed and his body shivered every few minutes. Worried, Genesis had raised a hand to feel the cadet's temperature. He brought up the news that Cloud had a fever, a very high one at that.

The moment it was known about Cloud's fever, everyone was on high alert. Ryu would use his scarf as a washcloth in an attempt to help the fever. Now and then the Turk runt would use the canteens to dampen the scarf when it was needed. And Sephiroth managed to heal some of the wounds that he could without moving the wing too much. During the whole trip the commanders and general took turns watching over the cadet, while the other runts rested.

"How's he doing?" Zack frowned in worry.

"The fever is still strong." Sephiroth calmly informed. But one look in the general's eyes and Zack could tell that Sephiroth was just as worried as he was.

Genesis, who happened to be a human pillow for Cloud, yawned. The crimson commander was not fond of long traveling. Genesis loved missions, but he despised aircraft travel. It only meant he would have to be squashed together with other men when most haven't showered in a while. Not to mention of his legs went numb from sitting still in a small amount of space for long hours and no leg room to stretch.

"Someone doesn't look worried." Zack crossed his arms.

"I'm tired, puppy. Cramped positions make me sleepy." Genesis slyly smirked.

The youngest soldier tilted his head in confusion. Casting a glare at the still smirking commander, Angeal stood up and gently pulled Zack along. "C'mon pup, the medics will need space to reach Cadet Strife."

Pouting, Zack stepped outside with his boyfriend not too far behind. Not too long after they stepped out of the aircraft Sephiroth followed them to make room for the paramedics that had just arrived. Genesis watched as the nurses gently changed the position of the injured wing enough so they could carry him out.

Cloud awoke from the gentle movement to his wing, his eyes half open. Upon closer inspection, the red commander saw something else in those eyes. They seemed tired, but not just physically tired. It was the same look Sephiroth had during the days he wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and cuddle with Genesis all day. The same sad expression through the deep blues, Genesis began to worry.

"Strife?" the young commander murmured softly.

Cloud's eyes gazed up at Genesis, his voice hoarse as he spoke in a barely audible whisper. "Why do I get the feeling everything will go downhill from here?"

Genesis frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"Hm…I don't know." The blonde shrugged, seemingly not bothered by being lifted into the stretcher. The young commander watched as the cadet was carefully carried out, the slow rocking motion brought another dreamless sleep to Cloud.

"Seph…" Genesis said as the cadet disappeared into the building. "We're going to keep a very good eye on him. Something's wrong."

"May I ask what exactly are we keeping an eye out for?" Sephiroth calmly asked, noticing the many different emotions flash through his love's eyes.

"His eyes should be enough to tell us how he's progressing." The commander lowered his gaze to the ground with a small frown.

Sephiroth simply nodded.

* * *

"Professor Hojo!" One of the nurses called out to the head of the science department.

"What!? What in Gaia's name that's so important for you imbeciles interrupt my work?" the elder man huffed angrily.

Usually Hojo wasn't this cranky. But when he had been working the whole night and morning with no sleep then the man easily lost patience and a possibly a few temper tantrums. Everyone knew of this, therefore they had to choose their words carefully without being thrown out of the room violently while being cursed at wildly.

"An injured cadet, sir, just came back from the field. He…he has a wing, sir." The nurse elaborated, regaining her calm posture.

The wing bit caught Hojo's full attention. Pulling the goggles off his head and setting them on the table, the man raised an eyebrow as he studied the blonde before him. There was something very familiar about this certain cadet.

'_Hmm…something is very familiar about this cadet. Maybe I should do as they ask this time, and I can sneak a blood test.'_Hojo calculated silently.

"Just put him over there on that table. I can't make any promises, but since that wing is partially healed I just might be able to save it." The professor instructed.

The nurses did as they were told, surprised about Hojo's sudden change of attitude towards them. Once the cadet was on the table, a few of the nurses left for the infirmary while the rest stayed behind to help Hojo. The scientist was angry for their insistence to help, but on the positive side they did the work of changing the cadet's clothes, insert an IV into his vein and connect a heart and brain monitor.

"Professor, the x-rays are finished." One of the nurses handed the plastic photos of the wing.

"Hmm…" Hojo held them up to the light. "It's broken in four places."

"How are we going to save it? We can't put too many pins in the wing otherwise it won't be able to move." The nurse pointed out.

"We should straighten it with two bars on both sides." Hojo suggested.

"Like we do with broken legs?"

"Exactly, now let's get to work." Hojo angrily huffed.

Some hours later the scientist and the nurses managed to step back, feeling that the cadet's body would naturally take care of the rest. The boy was lying on his stomach, his wing strapped gently up as the straps kept it straight. With a sigh, Hojo left for his own devices while the nurses cleaned the wing as best they could with gentle, careful hands and removing the damaged feathers.

Once they were done, they allowed guests to visit. It was late at night, and the only friends that had the patience to wait so long happened to be the general and his first love.

"If he stirs and is in pain, let us know." A nurse smiled tiredly at them, she seemed fond of the blonde.

Sephiroth gave a curt nod back. The nurse left and the general turned his attention back to the cadet. Genesis sat next to Cloud's bed, tempted to run a hand through the soft chocobo hair.

"His hair…looks so soft and feathery." Genesis half smiled.

Sephiroth snuck a kiss on his love's cheek. "Only you would come up with poetic words at the oddest of times."

"Odd? How does this seem so odd?" the red commander raised an eyebrow.

"For one, we're in Hojo's laboratory. Two, Cloud is lying on his stomach with straps around his injured wing." Sephiroth smirked.

"Oh, yes. Hojo's laboratory, I forgot we were in such a loathsome location." Genesis frowned.

"Do not fret, he'll heal within no time." The general encouraged, running his hand through the soft auburn hair.

Genesis practically purred into his touch. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile as he rested his chin over his love's head. His intense green eyes fixated on the resting blonde, a sudden curiosity flooded through him.

"I wonder if his hair is sensitive." Sephiroth barely whispered. But never the less Genesis heard him.

"That would be interesting to find out."

"Not now, Genesis. Let him sleep. He needs as much rest as he could get." Sephiroth reasoned.

"You always ruin the fun." Genesis pouted.

"I care for him, love. I have noticed that lately that I have the growing need to protect him." The general half smiled.

"Hm…it's the same with me too." Genesis craned his neck to glance up at his love. The two soldiers passed a smile between them.

After about thirty minutes watching the blonde, the red commander finally yawned. The yawn didn't go unnoticed by Sephiroth, but he was a little drowsy too. Running a hand through the auburn hair, Sephiroth checked the time.

"Gen, I think its time to head back to our room. It's late, and he most likely won't wake up for a while." Sephiroth whispered, watching another yawn escape from the commander.

"Alright." Genesis stood up, yawning once again as he followed Sephiroth out.

Sephiroth paused, taking one last glance at the sleeping cadet. Feeling satisfied that everything was alright; the general turned and leads Genesis back to their room.

Unknown to them, Hojo peered into the room. The scientist had snuck a DNA sample of the cadet when the nurses weren't looking. And the DNA test results came back, and provided Hojo the information he needed. He knew that someday the children of the two Cetra women would come his way, and now Hojo has found one of them.

With a delighted smirk, the mad man reached for the mako and Jenova needles. The tests also told Hojo something else, something he was very thrilled about. The test showed that Cadet Strife had a high tolerance to mako, the level of a Second Class Soldier. The mako tolerance was very near that of a first, just slightly below the level.

No matter, Hojo thought. He'd have to inject just enough for a Second Class Soldier, so that it'd pass without any notice. Hojo couldn't risk his job if the cadet started showing the symptoms of mako, and that the levels had suddenly jumped over the course of a few days. But that was what the Jenova injections were for, to keep the mako hidden long enough for Hojo to secretly experiment on the cadet.

With careful and precise skill, Hojo injected the mako into the cadet's right arm. After pulling the needle out Hojo wiped the injected area with cotton and rubbing alcohol. Once the area stopped bleeding, Hojo moved to the other side, to inject the Jenova cells. After the injection, the scientist rubbed the area with a different cotton ball.

Now done, Hojo cleaned the needles and settled them back where they were. And with a knowing smile, the scientist left to catch up on some much needed sleep.

* * *

For three and a half weeks, Cloud's recovery progress was surprisingly fast for a cadet. The three angels kept a close watch over the cadet, and an even closer eye on Hojo. Sephiroth watched over Cloud's body language whenever he came to the lab for his usual mako level check ups with the scientist. Genesis would come with the general now and then, but most of the time he wasn't welcome by Hojo.

Angeal checked up during the weekends with Zack in their spare time. Usually during lunch time did they come by, with food that wasn't made up of the disgusting oils and slop from the cafeteria. This brightened Cloud's day when he was given real food. Sloppy foods wasn't the best taste when someone was lying on their stomach, and could only move one arm because the shoulder blade connecting to the wing would cause him pain.

When four weeks had passed by without much change in Cloud's health, the three angels let up on keeping an eye on him just a little. Angeal and Zack still visited on weekends, when they weren't on an important mission of some sort. Genesis visited at least once a week, usually late at night since the director was working him overtime after the failure of the mission on the mountain.

Meanwhile piles upon piles of paperwork stole Sephiroth's hours as days passed. The general desperately wanted to visit Cloud at least once a day, but with all the paperwork the director passed to him Sephiroth had to rely on the others for updates. These updates on Cloud were not so frequent; hence his friends visited some three to five days apart from each other. And the updates were old by the time they reached Sephiroth, for Shinra had (for some reason) increased missions onto their shoulders.

Until one day, when Sephiroth was called up by Hojo for another check up, the general was all too glad to leave his office within seconds after the call. Upon his arrival, Sephiroth noticed a small change. Not only was Cloud sitting up on the table, with the straps off his wing, but the wing itself wasn't the full length Sephiroth remembered. When it was strapped, the wing looked fine. But now that it was released, it seemed shorter than it should.

On top of that, Cloud seemed lost. He was just sitting there, staring into space. Usually the cadet had pent up energy as he laid there in the same spot for four weeks, tapping with his fingers, moving his legs in the air with a bored expression. Now it seemed that the pent up energy had somehow disappeared.

Cloud wasn't moving or twitching his legs like he usually did, and his arms were at his sides, unmoving. Upon further inspection, Sephiroth noticed something more troubling. The golden halo, the soft aura that portrayed his innocence around the cadet, had faded. It didn't dim at all, it was gone. Gone.

Now Sephiroth was worried. His eyes analyzed the cadet carefully, checking for any other changes that no one else noticed. There was a cotton ball taped over the cadet's shoulder, meaning there was an injection recently. The general also noticed how firm the cadet's muscles were, especially his arms, after four weeks of laying down. Usually a cadet's muscles become flat after this amount of time of missing training.

The last change made Sephiroth's heart stop. Cloud's eyes no longer held their brightness they've always had. The brightness that showed he was a lively person, even though he was shy at most times. Now they were a dull blue, darkened without their sparkle. It was the kind of dull of someone giving up on life itself.

"Cadet Strife?" Sephiroth whispered as he cautiously stepped closer.

Cloud didn't respond. He continued to sit there as if the general wasn't even there. While Sephiroth was trying to grasp the cadet's attention, Cloud was fighting his own battle. The voices were back, but worse than before he injured his wing to the Surai. But the mental battle was a loosing one for the blonde.

'_Traitor!'_ the voices hissed in his mind.

'_I am no traitor. I have done nothing.'_ Cloud hastily replied.

'_Traitor! You are a traitor to the goddess! Traitor!'_ the voices screamed at him.

'_What have I done to deserve this?'_ Cloud cried, tears fell from his eyes.

Sephiroth rushed to the cadet's side, desperately trying to catch the blonde's attention. Both hands cupped Cloud's face, his thumbs rubbing away the tears as Sephiroth chanted the cadet's name in hopes to reach him. But nothing did the general do helped Cloud.

'_You share her blood. You share the enemy's cells. You are no longer the Almaroq with her cells in your body!'_ the voices scowled at him.

'_That's not true!'_

'_It is true! You are a traitor!'_ the voices didn't let up.

"Leave me alone!" Cloud screamed, frantically pushing everything away form him. The blonde didn't realize that Sephiroth was at his side, and when his hands felt the leather the cadet kicked.

Sephiroth doubled over from the harsh kick. A cadet shouldn't be able to kick hard enough for a First Class Soldier to double over in pain. The general stared intensely into the cadet's eyes. Now that they were close, Sephiroth noticed the thin bright green disk forming around the pupils. It was the unmistakable side effect of mako injections. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"Listen to me, Cloud, I can help you. Just trust me." The general whispered as calmly as he could.

"Leave me alone! I'm not a traitor! Get out of my head!" Cloud screamed, thrashing erratically.

Sephiroth stared. "You are the son of a Cetra, aren't you?"

'_Traitor!'_ the voices continued to scream.

"Get out of my head!" the blonde thrashed, hands gripping his hair in a desperate try of ridding them from his mind. His attempt didn't work at all.

'_You are son of a Cetra, we will never leave you, Traitor!'_ the voices countered.

Cloud let out a ferocious scream of frustration. The blonde gripped his head tighter as he fell back onto the metal bed, still thrashing with his legs. Sephiroth quickly made his way to the cabinets for a calming drug. When he found one, he picked it up with a shaky hand. The general wasn't fond of needles, but Cloud needed to calm down.

Sephiroth turned in time to see the blonde stopped screaming, and seemed that he had simply fainted from the stress. The general tentatively made his way to Cloud's side, his hand reaching for the blonde's forehead. Within a few seconds of his hand over the cadet's forehead, the eyes opened. And those eyelids revealed bright green orbs.

Sephiroth was too shocked by those eyes that matched his own to defend himself when Cloud kicked him on the side of the head. The general fell to his knees on the cold floor, hand reaching for his sword. With flashing speed only for a real soldier, Cloud jumped to the other side of the room and pulled out a hidden dagger from one of his boots.

"What are you doing, cadet?" Sephiroth lowly hissed, sword raised up at the said blonde.

"The Reunion…." Cloud coldly smirked. "The final days of this planet are near."

Confused, the general raised an eyebrow. "Reunion…?"

"The one you're destined to fulfill." Cloud tilted his head, still smirking in a cold manner.

"Being the Dragon Angel is my destiny. To help the others save this planet from dying." Sephiroth hissed back.

"That will soon change." Cloud said before he launched himself at the general with a deafening roar.

* * *

Genesis was taking a nice nap on the couch when suddenly the alarms went off. Jumping off the couch, the red commander glanced around. Everything seemed to glow red from the red lights above him, flashing as the alarm continued.

"Soldiers of Shinra, this is your director speaking. There is a break in from Professor Hojo's lab. Please restrain and capture the invader." The speakers all over Shinra echoed.

'_Strange. Why would there be an invasion from Hojo's lab? Unless something went wrong with his experiments?'_ Genesis thought, tilting his head. Then the commander checked the time.

"Wait…Sephiroth and Cloud are there!" Genesis quickly ran out of the room, making sure he grabbed his rapier like sword.

As Genesis ran, other soldiers followed. They were mostly Thirds and cadets, since the Seconds were off on major missions to be promoted to First. When the commander reached the lab, he stopped and stared in wonder. The whole lab was in ruins, anything that was fragile was broken into shards. Computers had cracked screens, monitors were thrown about, and the smell of blood hung in the air, covering the clean smell the lab usually had.

"Everyone, stay outside. Guard the hallways; keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Genesis ordered the underlings.

"Yes, sir!" they nodded.

Once they did as they were told, the red commander stepped inside the lab for inspection. The lights were off, due to the bulbs now scattered across the floor in white shards. But there was one close to the corner that managed to hang onto the roof. The light flashed on and off, indecisive whether or not to remain on or not.

The flashes showed a human body laying there. Genesis had to tilt his head to realize that the figure was the general.

"Sephiroth!" Genesis ran to his love's side, pulling him into his lap.

The general coughed, and his hands that were wrapped around his side tightened. Genesis glanced around the lab for a sign of Cloud. The cadet was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Hojo for that matter. Turning his attention back on the general, the commander reached for a pale cheek.

"Sephiroth, talk to me. What happened?" Genesis whispered.

"Cloud…he's…possessed by something…" the general coughed. "He attacked…me…Hojo has been…sneaking mako…injections…"

Genesis stared wide eyed. "How the hell did he pull that off!? We've kept a good eye on both of them!"

Sephiroth shook his head, he didn't know how. "Hojo is a sneaky bastard…"

"Commander Rhapsodos?" one of the Thirds tentatively stepped into the room.

"What?" Genesis snapped at the soldier.

"There are reports of a cadet gone berserk on the first floor." The Third Class Soldier stammered.

Narrowing his eyes, Genesis glanced at Sephiroth, then back to the soldier. "Spread the word, we need to stop this cadet now. And call in the medics! General Sephiroth is wounded!"

Nodding, the soldier left to do as ordered. Meanwhile Genesis used a Cure level 1 materia on Sephiroth to stop the bleeding. Once the bleeding stopped, Genesis laid Sephiroth back on the floor, albeit in a more comfortable position than before.

"I'll be back, Sephiroth." Genesis promised, leaning to grant the pale lips a small kiss.

The red commander stood up, and quickly made his way to the lobby. He ignored the elevator, for the underlings were cramming themselves in there in their hurry to reach the first level. Genesis ran down the stares, skipping four steps at a time as he seemingly leaped over them. When he rushed through the doors he stopped once again in shock.

There, in the middle of the lobby, fighting off the soldiers with the Fusion Sword in the form of First Ken, the base of the broad six bladed sword. Cloud was fast on his feet, using his speed and agility to bring down his foes. The First Ken was a complex sword, not even Angeal would attempt to use the sword. It was as if Cloud was meant to wield the sword.

Genesis watched in both awe and terror as the blonde cadet swung the sword around with ease. Soldiers fell around Cloud's feet, either dead or close to dying. The other cadets started to open fire. Cloud dodged each bullet, smirking when the soldiers behind him fell from the bullets.

"Cadets! Cease fire! Soldiers! Gather up the wounded and get the hell out of here! Those of you, who are not injured, block every exit within this floor!" Genesis roared as he took command.

The underlings did as they were told. All of the soldiers were shaking as Cloud stood there, calm and collected as if nothing had happened. Genesis cautiously made his way closer to the blonde cadet, taking in the changes. The red commander immediately noticed the bright green eyes that replaced Cloud's natural blue.

"So what Sephiroth said was true. Hojo had been sneaking mako injections all this time, and we haven't noticed until now." Genesis frowned. "What else did that mad man do to you?"

"Only ignite the flame of destruction." Cloud smirked. "The Reunion is near. All we need is for the Nightmare to awaken, and then Jenova will take over the planet."

'_Jenova? Isn't that the name of Sephiroth's mother?'_Genesis did not like the sound of this. Sephiroth rarely spoke of his mother, but he did mention her name once or twice to Angeal and Genesis.

The red commander straightened himself as he raised his red sword up, the blue jewel meeting his forehead. His icy blue eyes stared intently at the cadet. Cloud narrowed his eyes in return, raising his sword up just a little in readiness to defend himself.

"There is no Hate, only Joy. For you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of the worlds." Genesis quoted before launching his attack.

Cloud easily blocked the attack, parried to the side for a strike of his own. The red commander jumped back, swinging his sword in an attempt to disarm the cadet. The swords clashed, and the heavier one nearly left Cloud's hand. The cadet quickly gripped the handle with both, raising it over his shoulder to aim for the commander's upper body.

Genesis parried away from the attack, the tip barely missing his hair as he thrust his sword through the cadet's shoulder. Cloud screamed, and leaped back, hand over the wound in his attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul." Genesis quoted once again as the cadet glared at him.

And just before the commander attacked again, he raised his sword and said, "Pride is lost."

Cloud roared, and back flipped to avoid the Firaga balls of fire. When his feet met the floor the blonde raised his sword as a shield from the commander's sword. But the force made Cloud slide back a few feet, the back of his head hit the wall with a hard thud.

It was only for a second, but Genesis saw it happen. Cloud's eyes returned to their natural blue, and as quickly as it came the color disappeared. The intense green eyes glared back, the pupil now formed that of a cat's, narrowing to show the cadet's anger.

The sudden change made Genesis pause, only for a few seconds. Those few seconds was all what Cloud needed to retaliate. He kicked the commander in the gut, pushing Genesis back. Once he had enough room to swing his sword, Cloud aimed for the commander's shoulder.

Although the shoulder pad stopped the cadet from fully injuring the shoulder, the First Ken managed to penetrate through the pad and left a cut. Genesis hissed in pain, using his sword to lift heavier weapon off of him as the commander twirled around full circle to leap away. Cloud smirked from the reaction.

"You leap away from the smallest of wounds? How pathetic. I guess we don't have to worry about you for a long while, since you're weak, Phoenix." The cadet tilted his head tauntingly.

Genesis' left eye twitched. "You're getting on my last nerves, cadet. Whoever the hell you are, get out of Cloud's body and leave us in peace!"

"Too late! This body is now a puppet for the Reunion!" Cloud shouted angrily. "And stop calling me that."

Genesis tilted his head curiously. "What, Cloud?"

"Stop it!" the blonde frantically screamed.

"Cloud." Genesis took a few steps forward.

"I'm warning you! Stop it!" the cadet shook his head, raising his sword.

"Cloud. Listen to my voice. Cloud, don't you remember me?" the commander sadly smiled, as he continued to move closer to the blonde.

"No…Leave me alone! That's not my name!" Cloud shook his head.

"Then what is your name?"

"She hasn't given me one yet!" the blonde shouted.

"Then your name is still Cloud." Genesis countered.

"No!"

"Cloud."

"NO! I said leave me alone!" the blonde held his sword to one side, while his other used a Blizzaga with quick speed.

Ice erupted from the floor, knocking the commander back as it hit his already wounded shoulder. Genesis held off a scream by biting his lip, but he whimpered as his head met the floor hard. The force of the fall left Genesis dazed and confused as he lay there, close to fainting.

Meanwhile Cloud continued using the materia; he froze all of the soldiers and cadets that blocked his way. The blonde ran for the building's entrance to Midgar. Without even chipping or scratching his sword, Cloud managed to slice the two frozen soldiers into pieces and escaped by expanding his wings and taking flight.

"My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains. The arrow…has left the bow of the goddess." Genesis managed to quote before he fell unconscious.

As the blonde flew into the sky above, the voices told him their last message in a raspy whisper.

_'Traitor…'_

* * *

Shado: Uh...trust me, this chap goes along with the plot, and before I could even have half of this chap done, I was having trouble with the plot. But thanks to my beta reader, I got the plot straight where I wanted this story to go, and it shall be fine. x3

I felt I was loosing GenGen's character, so I brought back him quoting from his favorite poem, LOVELESS. I hoped it worked. And forgive me for not adding an epic Cloud and Sephiroth fight in here, but I didn't want that fight to be the main concentration of the chap. In other words, I didn't want my readers to pay attention to only the epic fight of Cloud n Sephy, no worries, I love their battles. But in this chap, an epic fight didn't suit this.

Forgive this authoress for making you wait by clicking the magic button! :3


	14. Demon's Blood

Shado: Sorry about the delay! My summer vacation has started out pretty hectic with some family trips and there was a little bit of a problem with my computer, but it's passed!

And I'd like a huge thank you for my beta-reader, this chapter needed it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

**Chapter 14 **Demon's Blood

* * *

Wings beating frantically, Cloud flew in a desperate race to flee from Midgar. His eyes were once again their natural blues, his mind reeling to figure out why he was flying away at such speed. But he couldn't remember, and so he flew on.

The blonde continued his top speed even when his whole body began to ache, and his wings tired of carrying on such distance. Cloud did not know where he was, or which direction he was heading. By the time the sun was setting, Cloud's body shuddered violently from the cold air current he flew in.

Cloud folded his wings and decided now was the time to return to land. He dived down, straightening and tensing his body as he reached dangerous rates. Cloud's sharp blue eyes recognized mountains peaked with snow just below him. Quickly the blonde spread his wings outward while raising his body upwards with his feet kicking in hopes to slow him down even more.

In mere seconds Cloud's heartbeat raced as he twirled himself in circles to avoid the sharp edges of dark rocks. At some point he gained enough air lift for his wings to cooperate, and Cloud took his chance to stray away from the mountains and toward safer ground.

His feet met soft soil and nearly lost his balance. The bigger of the two wings flapped uneasily and Cloud managed to stand on weak legs. He stood there, shivering, wondering where he was. A wave of dizziness overtook him, and this time his wings were powerless to help balancing his weight and fell flat on his back.

Coughing, Cloud took his time for his body to recover. His shoulders hurt, right at the joint where wing met shoulder blade. His legs felt weak and heavy, as if they were made of lead. Cloud's lungs burned form the sudden change in altitude, increasing the amount of coughing in his chest.

Cloud closed his eyes, calming himself. Within moments his breathing had evened out, and his legs no longer felt so heavy. Five minutes longer and Cloud opened his eyes to observe where he was. The land seemed familiar. The mountains were surrounding him in a tiny little valley of hills.

'_This…this was where I fell…'_ Cloud concluded as a vision of the same landscape but with endless fields of flowers around him entered his mind.

Slowly gathering his strength, the blonde managed to sit up, folding his wings closer to his body. Cloud was back where everything started. The only few differences was that there were no more flowers, and he was closer to a mountain than in the middle of these hills.

Taking a closer look at the dark rocks, Cloud had the sudden feeling he was being watched. With the last of the rays of the sun in the darkening sky, Cloud's eyes glowed a bright green to enhance his vision. It was then he caught the slight movement. Cloud turned to his left, but before he could grasp what he was seeing something pounced on him.

Cloud opened his mouth to scream, but the sound never came when a large claw swiped at his chest. The sharp nails didn't penetrate his skin, but the pad of the claw knocked the wind out of the blonde. Lying on the ground gasping for air, Cloud tried to take a look at his attacker. He felt his heartbeat race in another panic attack.

Round red eyes stared back, and another blow to Cloud's head and he blacked out.

* * *

Vincent felt shivers tickle up and down his spine. His shudder was barely noticeable to the naked eye. Even so Cissnei caught the slight movement from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to glance at the elder Turk, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

They had been making slow progress to Midgar, and now they were riding along in the desert on a pair of chocobos. They were just a few miles away from the outskirts of the city just when the sun was setting. After Cissnei turned her gaze away from him, Vincent felt it again. This time the feeling in his gut heightened the worry within his mind.

Unable to ignore it, Vincent urged the chocobo faster towards the city. Confused and alarmed, Cissnei hurried her own chocobo along to keep up. The female Turk wanted to ask why they were running full speed, but she knew he wouldn't answer until they reached their destination.

Vincent had kept himself mostly quiet during the trip, talking only when he needed to. Cissnei didn't mind so much of the silence between them. They hardly knew each other, and they were on a mission for the four angels become five. But something must have made Vincent feel uneasy to hurry the birds along.

When the chocobos reached the city they began to tire, and both Turks slowed them down. A chocobo handler wasn't too far away, and Vincent quickly handed his over. Cissnei did the same with a quick nod to the handler before trotting to catch up with Vincent. Despite his years of disappearance from the city Vincent knew which direction the train station was.

By now they were running full speed. On a sharp turn Vincent skidded to a stop with an arm to help stop Cissnei from running into someone else. The girls yelped at the almost collision, both almost fell from the shock. Vincent used both arms to help them find balance. When they were able to stand on their own feet the ex—Turk let them go.

"Oh! I'm sorry! We didn't mean to run into…you…" Cissnei's eyes widened when she realized who she was standing in front of.

"It's all right! I didn't see you coming." Aerith bit her lip nervously. She glanced up at Vincent, and tilted her head.

Feeling nervous, the ex—Turk took a tentative step back.

"You're an angel, aren't you?" Aerith straightened up, jumping up a little and clapped her hands with glee.

"How do you know?" Vincent raised an eyebrow, slightly hidden underneath the red scarf.

"I…I'm a friend of Cloud! You have to go to the Shinra building! Something has happened to Cloud, the Calamity took control of him! I tried to reach the inside but they wouldn't let me in…" Aerith frowned at her feet in sadness.

"The Calamity?" Cissnei echoed.

"J—Jenova…"

This confirmed the horrible feeling in his gut. Vincent turned to the female Turk.

"Call your boss."

Cissnei did as she was told, dialing Tseng's number.

"Do you want to talk to him?" she asked when her boss' cell rang.

Vincent nodded.

"Cissnei I can't—"

Said Turk handed the device to Vincent.

"What happened to Cloud?"

There was about a minute of silence on the other line. Tseng gathered his courage and managed to pull off a half smile. Not that the legendary Turk was able to see him anyway.

"Ah, you must be Vincent."

"And you must be Wutainese." Vincent said bluntly. He could tell by the other man's voice, but his name was the big give away.

Tseng cleared his throat. "Forgive me, but something went wrong with Private Strife's mind. He went berserk and started to attack everyone else. He took down Sephiroth and Genesis."

Vincent shivered. "When did this happen?"

"Around early afternoon."

Now the ex—Turk was confused. If the incident happened earlier, then why did he start having a bad feeling ten minutes ago? A feeling of dread flowed through his veins.

"…"

"Vincent?" Tseng spoke up, now truly worried.

"How far are you with the investigation?"

"As far as I could find out, Hojo added something else to Cloud's recovery. I can't tell you what it was. He claims it was mako to help ease Cloud's pain. After Cloud had fully recovered, he attacked Sephiroth, then went on to the lobby and killed off Thirds and Seconds. Genesis took him on and fell."

"And Cloud escaped." Vincent concluded.

"More like flew."

"Do you know where he would be?"

"I have Turks keeping an eye out throughout the North. The files say he came from Nibelheim." Tseng sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Well, it looks like a trip back to where he slept for about twenty years was in the near future. Vincent felt rather annoyed of the idea. Another feeling of dread flooded through him when he realized just who was taking care of Cloud during his recovery.

"Where is Hojo now?"

"He's locked up in the Turk's investigation room."

Vincent's lips twitched. "Keep him there. I may have a way to make him sing."

Before Tseng could ask how Vincent hung up.

"Is there a back way into the Turk building?" The ex—Turk asked as he handed the phone back to its original owner.

"Yes."

"Lead us there." Vincent turned to Aerith, who had been watching everything silently. "You may come with us."

He received an instant, sweet smile. "Thank you!"

Cissnei took the lead with a fast pace. She didn't want to run for Aerith's sake, she was wearing her usual dress and high heeled sandals on top of that. Even with her attire Aerith managed to keep up beside Vincent, whose pace was more of a walk with long strides.

The small group was led into an alley, fit for only one person at a time. Vincent allowed Aerith to go first. She gave him a small nod before following Cissnei, squeezing her shoulders closer to her tiny body. It was then Vincent realized that his broad shoulders wouldn't allow room unless he walked sideways.

With a small huff of a sigh, Vincent turned and casually slid through the alley. If the man had his hands up he would have felt very much like a crab crawling on the beach. When Cissnei stopped, she tensed her shoulders up so she could turn and face the door. The other two watched and waited as she struggled to take out her ID card from her back pocket.

The female Turk scanned her ID, and punched in a password. The red light above the door flashed green for clear. Cissnei tried to push the door. The old rusted thing wouldn't budge. Frowning, Cissnei pushed with her whole body weight and the door opened with a loud groan.

Cissnei slipped in, followed by Aerith. Together the two women pulled on the door to allow Vincent enough room to walk in. Once inside he pushed the door with one hand and closed it.

"You couldn't just push it when you were outside?" Cissnei held back a glare at him.

"You didn't ask." Vincent smirked, unseen behind his cloak.

Somehow Aerith knew he was smirking, for she pouted at his direction with a small stomp of her foot. Cissnei raised both eyebrows at the action, but Vincent shrugged the display off. Both women were shorter than him anyway.

Cissnei quickly lead the way to the investigation room. She stopped in the same hall when she saw her boss standing in front of the one way window. He gazed up when he saw movement and smiled at them. The three newcomers came closer, albeit for Aerith she was a little more cautious than the two Turks.

"Thought I would keep an eye on him while we waited for you." Tseng saw Aerith and raised an eyebrow at Cissnei.

"She saw Vincent…" was all she could say.

"Ah. Then would you mind taking her to the infirmary? I'm sure Zack would be more than happy to see another friend by his side." The Head Turk suggested after clearing his throat.

"But I want to—"

"All right." Cissnei nodded, gently pulling Aerith along, more worried for Tseng's choice of words. The Cetra wasn't the only female friend of Zack's.

"You didn't want her to see what I would do." Vincent said when they left, referring to Aerith.

"She's brave to make it up here. Normally she would never leave the slums. I wouldn't want to frighten her to flee and never come back." Tseng crossed his arms.

"She came up here earlier to see Cloud's friends. They sent her away." Vincent glared, suddenly feeling protective of her.

"I wasn't informed of this." Tseng frowned. "Anyway, she probably used the front entrance. Guards were placed everywhere at that area, she wouldn't have gotten in."

Vincent calmed himself. He wanted to save his anger for the madman. Speaking of whom, he glanced through the one way window. Hojo was sitting by the table, facing them. He couldn't see them, so his eyes were at the door, fingers twiddling. Vincent knew that posture. The madman was calculating how to escape from this situation.

"Since you sent the women away, you're granting me permission to go all out on him?"

Tseng visibly shuddered when he made eye contact with those flashing red eyes.

"Permission granted. Not that you'll need to be told." Tseng paused. "Just don't kill the man. Whatever he did to you, he could have done worse."

"Yes, yes he did. He took my son and raised him into the general of Shinra." Vincent opened the door and strolled in.

Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose. But he didn't feel any regrets, the scientist had it coming.

* * *

Aerith was literally glomped when she reached the infirmary. The moment Zack saw her he leaped like a bunny on steroids and nearly knocked her to the floor. Cissnei held Aerith up by gripping her tiny shoulders and her own body to be used as a wall.

For the second time today Aerith had to lean on someone to keep her balance. She blushed at the embarrassment.

"Zack…I can't breathe…" Aerith squeaked.

"Oops!" the excited puppy unwrapping his arms and stood back, grinning.

With Zack out of the way Aerith straightened herself and nodded in thanks to Cissnei.

"No need to thank me." Cissnei half smiled before turning her attention to Angeal.

"He hasn't been given any sugar has he?" she pointed to Zack, who was still grinning like a fool.

"Hey! I'm right here you know!"

"Really? I think you're disappearing." Cissnei looked around, avoiding the hyper man. "I can only hear your voice."

Zack opened his mouth to retaliate when Genesis spoke up.

"Leave it, puppy. Something's bothering her and you're making her feel uncomfortable."

Said soldier whirled around to demand what Genesis meant when Angeal planted a kiss on his cheek. Zack instantly blushed and smacked his love playfully on the shoulder. Distraction a clear success, Angeal smiled at the new additions.

"You must be Aerith. I've heard a lot about you." The big man reached out with his hand.

"And you must be Angeal. Glad to finally meet you." Aerith smiled, shaking his hand. She seemed amazed at how her tiny hand was engulfed around the soldier's.

"Ah, so this must be the fair maiden with flowers Zack keeps biting our ears off about." The red commander inclined his head, sitting up with a smirk.

Aerith peered around Angeal's side to see the owner of the strange voice. Her eyes blinked a few quick times when she saw Genesis. She clearly didn't imagine the Angel of the Phoenix to be so glamorous. Aerith was more surprised of the bright blue eyes that greeted her. She suddenly felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What's the general's status?" Cissnei spoke up, sensing Aerith's anxiety.

"He hasn't woken up yet." Genesis gazed at the sleeping man next to him.

"I've been awake for about an hour, actually." Sephiroth, opening his eyes to smile at his boyfriend.

If Genesis' eyes were uncomfortable, then Sephiroth's were a dangerous blaze of green Aerith had ever seen. She couldn't help but hide herself behind Angeal's body. Zack noticed his friend's strange behavior. He turned to tilt his head at Aerith with a calculating gaze.

"You're afraid of Sephiroth?" he asked.

"He looks…scary." It wasn't only that. The whispers in her head told her to be wary of him. But she didn't want to tell them that.

"Seph isn't scary. Well…yes in the battlefield he is but besides that he's just a big softie." Genesis' smile didn't help Aerith at all.

She shook her head, tensing her body and kept her feet completely still. Aerith made up her mind not to step closer to the injured men.

"She's not going to budge." Angeal informed them.

"Aw, maybe after a while she'll warm up. He really is a big softie." Genesis shrugged.

"What happened to Cloud?" Sephiroth asked Angeal.

"He…went berserk. As you can see he brought down Genesis, and then flew away. Tseng has Turks spread throughout the North keeping an eye out for him." Angeal elaborated.

"No one went after him?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"Genesis was unconscious. I just got back here with Zack a few hours ago with an emergency call. We didn't know what had happened until the nurses brought us up here with you two displayed like rag dolls on the bed." Angeal said crossly.

Aerith tensed, she didn't feel safe here anymore.

_Search. Demon's blood. Help Nightmare. Demon's blood. Help Nightmare._ The voices of her ancestors echoed within her mind.

Aerith bit her lip as she glanced around for a medical kit. She didn't know who the Nightmare was, but she had an idea where to find the demon's blood. Zack and Cissnei noticed the Cetra's nervousness. The soldier stepped closer with a hand on Aerith's shoulder.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Um…w—well, I…may I ask where the bathroom is?" Aerith thinned her lips. It was the only excuse that came to mind.

"Sure, I'll show the way." Cissnei offered before Zack could open his mouth to give her directions.

"Thank you." Aerith inclined her head, following the female Turk.

Once they were outside, the voices became more persistent.

_Demon's blood. Now. Now. Now. Now. _Aerith quickly turned and dashed away before Cissnei could realize what had happened.

"I'm sorry!" Aerith screamed as she turned a corner.

"Hey! Wait! Aerith!" Cissnei ran after the girl.

Zack immediately opened the door just in time to see the female Turk dash after the direction Aerith went. Still having sugar in his system, Zack ran like a cheetah after the fleeing Cetra. His mako induced hearing helped him with the twists and turns Aerith's feet dashed around the building.

A few times Zack caught sight of her, but she made a quick turn to get away. Growling at himself, Zack picked up the pace. Only to realize he was going full speed after a woman. A woman who wasn't even given mako shots. And Zack still had sugar in his system!

He realized that she was successful with quick turns. She ran down long hallways, but when he got too close she quickly turned and Zack had to slow down just enough so he won't bang his head at the corner.

And then, mysteriously, somehow, Aerith disappeared. He kept running and running, even taking sharp turns. But after five minutes he didn't see her, and once he stopped for a breather he realized he couldn't hear her feet either.

"Damn!" Zack slapped his knee.

Ow, that stung.

So, Zack did the next best thing. He waited. His breathing calmed, and his legs burned to run again. But instead he listened hard for her movement.

Then he heard the faint footsteps of her shoes. He turned around and jogged towards the sound. It was nearby, but when she came into view she ran. Zack was momentarily confused when he saw that she was carrying a medical kit.

"Wait! Aerith!" Zack yelled after her.

Then he heard another pair of footsteps. Heading straight to Aerith. Zack turned a few sharp turns, not bothering to slow down. He ran into a wall each time, but he didn't care at the moment. Then he heard her yelp in surprise. Zack took it as a cry of help.

He turned a corner with a yell and ran into a man with leather attire, and some red cape. Zack wasn't paying much attention because seconds after colliding to the strange man his face kissed the floor.

"Ow!"

"Hello puppy."

Zack recognized Tseng's distant voice.

"Why 'ello to you too." The young soldier grumbled to the floor.

"S—Sorry. I didn't mean to run off like that, I had to give these to Vincent…something about helping the Nightmare with his blood." Aerith wheezed out weakly. Noticing Tseng, she tilted her head.

"You…you were there when I first met Cloud."

"And we meet again, Miss Gainsborough. I would love to chat, but we need to give Sephiroth a dose of protection from this Jenova." Tseng nodded his head in greeting.

"Found the rifles. You, I will need your help to shoot at the general." Vincent appeared with three rifles, pointing one to Zack.

"I have a name you know." Zack coughed as he sat up, taking the rifle that was handed to him. "Whoa! Wait a minute! I've never handled one of these!"

"Too bad, it's either you or Aerith." Vincent said bluntly. "Now let's go."

Zack stood up and held the rifle he was given, one arm around Aerith for a little bit of support while Tseng dragged him along. When his legs were back into the running, Zack strode along with the currently nameless man with the red cape.

When they reached a hallway near the infirmary, they heard swords clashing. Confused, Zack slowed down with the others to peer over the corner. He nearly gasped at the sight of Sephiroth taking on Angeal and Genesis.

"Sephiroth is—"

"Shh, he doesn't need to know we're here." Tseng smacked the soldier hard enough to make him shut up.

Vincent took the medical kit, kneeling down and took out a needle.

"Demon's blood!" Aerith reminded in a low whisper.

Zack watched as those red eyes flashed into a yellow blaze. He was so shocked he couldn't yelp in fear if he wanted to. And it was a good thing because he would have blown their cover.

Chaos clenched his jaw when he injected the needle into a vein in his left arm, filling it up. He handed it over to Tseng, who loaded it into his rifle. The wingless demon was using his human's own body to take their shared blood.

'_You'd better allow me a free day, Vincent. I'll make sure to smack that son of yours around.'_ Chaos growled at his human.

Vincent didn't reply, but in their shared mind he merely nodded. Typical. The man would face every monster on the planet, and he was dead afraid of needles. Chaos couldn't blame him. It was all because of Hojo he was stuck in a coward's body.

The demon handed the second needle to Zack, who clumsily loaded it. Chaos inhaled as the third one was injected. Really the number of needles pushed his limits. But he still managed to pull through it and loaded the sharp object. He turned to Tseng.

"You take the second shot, soldier boy will go first." Chaos smirked as Zack fumed but said nothing.

Aerith sent a prayer for Zack as he knelt down, barely peering from behind the corner. Keeping himself as calm as possible, Zack raised the rifle and took aim. Just to make sure he hit a vein, Zack aimed at the general's upper arm.

For a moment the soldier hesitated, he didn't know why they were giving Sephiroth blood from some stranger rather than tranquilizers. But considering the situation, Zack pushed away the questions that were bubbling up his throat and pulled the trigger.

Amazingly, the needle hit its target. And Sephiroth didn't notice a thing. He continued on attacking his commanders with his long katana. Zack scooted away to make room for Tseng, who remained standing as he took aim.

The Head Turk took only seconds before his shot penetrated the back of Sephiroth's left shoulder. The needle was mere inches away from the general's heart. This time Sephiroth felt this shot. He turned around, eyes practically burning with anger. Zack shuddered, scooting himself further away from the corner and standing up, hand over the hilt of his sword.

Tseng quickly stepped back and readied his handgun, using his body as a shield for Aerith. Meanwhile Chaos rolled to the center of where the two hallways met. He took only a second for his needle to hit its target, Sephiroth's right shoulder.

Sephiroth stumbled back a little, not expecting a third shot. He took out the needles, but the blood still made it inside him. Now they had to keep themselves from being injured from Sephiroth's sword just long enough until the blood took into effect in his system.

Chaos allowed Vincent full control, and yawned in their shared mind. Vincent almost yawned with him, but clenched his jaw tightly.

'_I'll finish my nap. Have fun with him, Vinnie. Don't forget you owe me a free day.'_ Chaos reminded with a hiss, before promptly falling asleep.

Vincent ignored him. Instead he raised Cerberus and pulled the trigger two times. The long katana flew backwards like helicopter blades. With a shout, Angeal and Genesis ducked close to the floor to avoid the blade as it flew over their heads.

Sephiroth blinked a few times, realizing he was weaponless. Anger bubbled its way up his chest, his eyes sparkling with a mix of intense green and silver. He took a few steps forward to Vincent, but stopped and held a hand up to his forehead. The general suddenly felt dizzy, the female voice within his head was slowly fading.

'_No! Not the demon! Kill him! Kill him! Kill…'_

And then she vanished.

Sephiroth fell to his knees.

"What…what did you do to me?" he asked weakly as the gunman calmly stepped closer.

"With the mix of mine and Chaos' blood, you will become more resistant to Jenova. At least for a little while, just long enough to locate and destroy that witch." said a baritone voice. The voice was softly pulling Sephiroth into the promises of a peaceful sleep.

And Sephiroth closed his eyes and dreamt of Cloud.

* * *

Shado: Oh yea, some Vincent/Chaos vs Sephiroth action. I went there.

But what about our favorite blonde? Will he still be the precious Cloud Seph and Gen love oh so much? -sigh- So many questions, so little time.

For those who have some questions about the blood and shooting Sephiroth with it, do not worry! If you don't get it now, it shall be explained more thoroughly in the next chapter!

Now click the button thingy for the next chapter x3


	15. Sacrifices

Shado: Oh my god I'm so sorry for the delay. So much drama between my family, friends, and starting a new school year as a senior in high school was almost too much for me DD: But now I've finally gotten this chapter written and edited by my awesome beta reader who was patient enough for me to finish it!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I think you all should know by now that I own nothing!

**Chapter 15** Sacrifices

* * *

Sephiroth woke up once again in the infirmary. The general glanced around to notice that all of his friends were surrounding him. Give or take a few he didn't know. Stifling a yawn, Sephiroth slowly sat up.

"Hey, you're awake. It's good to see you as your old self." Angeal greeted.

Now Sephiroth was confused. "What?"

"He doesn't remember last night." Genesis glared at the bigger soldier.

"Might be for the best." Tseng commented. "He almost finished what Cloud started."

"I…I attacked everyone?" The general furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought that was a nightmare…"

"It was no nightmare." Vincent spoke up. "Be lucky your friends kept you away from your underlings."

Sephiroth stared up at the strange man. Green met red, and for a brief moment Sephiroth felt that those eyes were familiar. There were many emotions that were held within those eyes, but they flickered so suddenly to a different one each second. Sephiroth couldn't quite keep track of them. Then he remembered his nightmare the night before, this man was the one that disarmed him.

"Who are you?" The general asked, now examining the strange man as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"For now, it's Vincent." He didn't seem pleased.

"What about a last name?" Zack perked up, now fully awake. The young soldier had fallen asleep on his feet and he had been tired all morning.

"Not now." Tseng warned, sending a glare at the puppy.

"But…"

"Next time, pup." Angeal patted his love's shoulder.

"So, when will we be able to go and find Cloud?" Genesis directed his question at the Head Turk.

"Today would be a good start. But General Sephiroth has to heal, and we have no idea where to search first." Tseng pointed out.

"What does Aerith say about this? She has a sixth sense in a way, right?" the red commander glanced at the young woman standing by Vincent. Sephiroth briefly remembered her from the night before.

She frowned. "I can't feel his soul anymore. Before he disappeared I was able to sense mountains and hills."

"In the north?" Tseng questioned.

"Sounds about right. It was cold too." Aerith nodded.

"I'll inform Reno and Rude when they're done from a mission in Modeoheim. They should be returning within the week." The Head Turk glanced at Cissnei.

"I suggest you stay away from the Turk building as much as possible." Tseng all but frowned.

"Why?" Cissnei tilted her head.

"Rude came up with the excuse that a Surai killed you." Was the cold reply.

Everyone stared at the Head Turk, surprised. Vincent stared down at the female Turk, who stood to his left. A look of disbelief made him uncomfortable. Vincent knew that she would have no chance of continuing her job. Just as Tseng was taking his leave, Cissnei took a step forward.

"Tseng!"

The Head Turk stopped at the door, half turned to meet her gaze.

"Would this mean that my last mission is to help them?" Cissnei inquired with a hopeful expression.

Tseng half smiled. "Considering the circumstances, your last mission is to help the angels."

The female Turk nodded, pursing her lips together as Tseng turned and left the infirmary.

Once the Head Turk was gone, Cissnei returned to Vincent's side, avoiding the sympathetic gazes from everyone else.

"How could Rude do that!" Zack stomped his foot.

"Pup, drop it." Angeal gave his love a warning glare.

"I won't drop it, damn it! Why would he do that to Cissnei!" the soldier almost wailed.

"Zack, its fine, it was the only explanation he could have given." Cissnei shook her head.

"But—"

"If he had said that Cissnei went missing, Shinra would see her as a potential threat. They would search for her from where she was last seen. Then they would catch her, and question her. If she didn't provide any satisfying answers they would execute her." Vincent pointed out with a stoic tone.

Zack stared at the ex—Turk, eyebrows knitting together with worry. The soldier frowned, turning his gaze to Angeal, who nodded in confirmation.

"It was the best way for her to find Vincent without any disruptions." Angeal added.

Sephiroth furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you saying that Vincent is…?"

"I am the Fallen One, also known as the Pegasus, or the most appropriate the Sinful Angel." Vincent spoke darkly.

The ex—Turk turned his gaze at Angeal. "You are the Honorable Angel, I presume?"

The first soldier nodded curtly.

Vincent turned to Genesis, eyeing him carefully. "Poetic Angel?"

The red commander smirked. "I drive everyone crazy with LOVELESS."

Vincent nodded. His red eyes flickered to the general.

"Fallen Angel."

Sephiroth hesitated, but nodded.

* * *

Cloud opened his eyes. He knew he didn't get much sleep. After he had been knocked out, the blonde found himself in the middle of a Surai nest. The alpha male ordered one of his smaller brothers to bite him.

The young cadet didn't know what was going on when that Surai bit him. All he knew was that some sort of venom was injected into him, spreading throughout his body. The venom spread, leaving hot and searing pain as it made its way through his veins, closer and closer to his heart and brain.

His heart skipped a few beats, even as it worked overtime in hopes of ridding itself of the venom. But the venom spread even quicker because of his heart working overtime. Cloud felt his head burning when the venom reached his brain. His vision went blurry, sweat breaking out of his skin from the high fever.

It had hurt to breathe. Cloud couldn't calm himself by breathing, when he was desperately gasping for needed air. But the venom was worse on his back. Up along his spine, he could feel the venom forcing itself into his nervous system, driving itself deeper until it reached his DNA strands.

That was when Cloud realized what the venom was for. They were trying to change him into a Surai!

Throughout the night, and into the early morning, Cloud screamed until his voice gave out. His throat hoarse and dry, all he could do was gasp for air. During the whole process Cloud writhed and thrashed, unable to do much of anything else but pray for the sun to arrive.

When it did, Cloud felt the planet screaming at him. Screaming at him for what had been done. Cloud was blinded by the sun, and with a last whimper he finally closed his eyes and welcomed darkness.

And now it was noon. Cloud's whole body hurt. Now and then his fingers twitched. Cloud furrowed his eyebrows.

He still had hands?

Opening his eyes once again, the blonde raised his head. A wave of pain pulsated through him, but he kept his head up and blinked wildly. When his eyes adjusted to the bright sun, Cloud saw that he was in a cave, and he felt a wave of happiness that he still had his own body.

But he had somehow grown taller. Cloud didn't remember his feet being that far away from him. Even so, the blonde felt that he didn't grow too tall, possibly about four inches at most. Cloud could only speculate he was closer to Zack's height now.

He tested his arms and legs, and found no searing pain when he moved. Cloud sat up, his back aching. The blonde raised a hand up to his hair, scratching a bit. Then his hand connected to something soft, slightly stiff, and it _twitched_.

With a yelp Cloud stood up, raising his other hand to the other side of his head and found something identical to the other. Cloud felt over where his ears should be. His eyes widened upon realization that his human ears were gone, replaced by some sort of pointed ears that suspiciously felt like a wolf's.

Cloud turned himself around to peer at his back. The blonde let out a sigh of relief that he didn't have a tail. His super sensitive ears perked up when a Surai came close. The creature seemed to glare at him, before opening its mouth and dropped something. On the ground lay a new patch of clothes.

"_You're no longer a cadet of Shinra, boy." _The Surai grumbled with a low growl.

The blonde glanced once more at himself, realizing for the first time that the cadet uniform as a tad bit small. The Surai snorted in slight amusement, before turning away and left him to change in private.

Cloud took a better look at his surroundings. Where he had been sleeping on was a large blanket of fur. Everywhere else was hard rock. For a fleeting moment Cloud felt grateful for the comfort the fur gave him, even though it did little to no help during the night.

With a sigh, Cloud began to take off his uniform.

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Zack inquired, feeling bored already.

"What else is there to do other than wait for any news of Cloud?" Angeal crossed his arms.

"But I wanna go and search for him now! Our little buddy could be out there in freezing temperatures, frightened and alone! We can't just stay here like this when he's someplace Gaia knows where." The young soldier huffed, hands at his hips as he gave a hard stare at everyone.

"And where shall we search, if we leave now?" Vincent pointed out.

"His hometown of course!" Zack waved his arms in a matter-of-fact way.

Everyone stared at the young soldier in silence. Biting his lip, Zack began to pace around Sephiroth's bed.

"Look, we all know the general direction he flew away somewhere north. And if we got any chance of finding, it would be somewhere in the Nibelheim area, if not a little further northward."

"But how will we get there? There's too many of us to ride in one chopper. Unless Vincent knows how to fly them, we've only got one pilot." Genesis frowned, referring to Cissnei as the pilot.

"Well…what about Reno and Rude? You know, they come back here within the week. Tseng is already gonna send them to Nibelheim." Zack scratched his head.

"And what are we to do until they get here?" Vincent raised an eyebrow.

For once the young soldier couldn't find an answer.

The red commander groaned. "Waiting one week for just a couple of Turks is a useless waste of time!"

"Calm down, Genesis." Sephiroth spoke softly.

"Funny how the general is telling his commander to calm down." the poetic angel snorted.

"Genesis…" the general frowned in warning.

The said soldier took the hint and angrily crossed his arms, cursing under his breath.

Zack turned his gaze to Cissnei. "Is there anyone else who could help?"

The female Turk shook her head.

Vincent eyed the other three angels for a moment.

"How long are you able to fly?"

All three soldiers stared at the man in read cloak as if he grew another head.

"What are you talking about?" Angeal eyed the man curiously.

"Your wings. How long can you fly with your wings?" Vincent elaborated.

"…We haven't really tested them." Genesis admitted, biting his lip.

"Why don't we go put them to practice, then?" the pale man suggested as he seemed to glide out of the infirmary.

Angeal was the first to follow the strange man. It felt like it's been ages since he last stretched out his wing. Genesis helped his lover up from the bed and together they followed their comrade.

"So…anyone want any refreshments?" Zack offered to the girls.

"I could go for a cup of tea." Aerith nods.

"Coffee sounds like heaven right now." Cissnei smiled.

Zack smiled sleepily before leading them out of the infirmary.

After they gathered some much needed tea and coffee with a few sandwiches, Zack and the girls found the angels on the top of the huge plate that covered the slums. For Aerith, it was a whole new experience to be on top of the plate and not under it. She seemed scared at first, but after a while of watching the angels stretch their wings, she didn't mind too much.

She watched as Angeal smoothly glided down for a landing. Vincent had given all three some advice and watched each of them fly, glide, and stick to their landing. Angeal used his wing a lot more than the other two commanders. All Vincent needed to do was point out a few key factors and move on to Genesis and Sephiroth.

"Your wing is oddly shaped, so you'll have a harder time to smoothly glide down like a bird. The best you can do is glide with your body vertical to the ground." Vincent stated to the red commander when he landed rather clumsily.

Genesis pouted, but got up and took flight for another try. He was great at darting through the air, and then he dove down in a smooth glide. The red commander slowly turned his body vertical, and landed perfectly on his two feet.

"That was much better." He said with a triumphant smirk.

"Your wing is more built for speed, just experiment which how much to fold it to your body or how far you need to stretch it out. Make sure to keep your entire body balanced when you're flying too." Vincent pointed out.

Genesis nodded, still smirking in his victory.

Next was Sephiroth's turn. He was still a bit sore from last night's events, but not sore enough to give flying a try. When the silver general extended his wing out of the shoulder blade, Vincent examined it for a moment.

Compared to the other angels, Sephiroth's wing was surprisingly normal. Angeal's wing was long and held an almost straight structure. While as for Genesis' wing was by far the biggest amongst the four out of five angels. It curved up from the shoulder, and then suddenly curves down before straightening back upwards at an odd angle.

From the moment Vincent laid eyes on the two commanders' wings, he knew that they had no problem with speed. While Angeal's wing was built for darting from one place to another, Genesis' wing was best for diving and gaining altitude. And with a little more practice the red commander would be the fastest of the chosen angels.

But Sephiroth's wasn't oddly shaped for speed. To the ex—Turk, the wing reminded him of a huge one winged crane with a wingspan that matches the general's height. If anything the wing could be fast with short distances. But it wouldn't be fast compared to Genesis' for long distances.

"Have you flown before?" Vincent inquired after he examined the black wing.

"I've flown twice. Let's say…Genesis isn't the best teacher." Sephiroth sent a glare at his lover, remembering the horrible crashes he experienced both tries.

"Not my fault you knew nothing of air currents." Genesis defended.

"You could have at least warned me." the general shot back.

"And here I thought that you were a prodigy."

"Enough." Vincent intercepted before the argument escalated into a dangerous fight with swords.

"Sephiroth, how about you try a few of the stretching techniques I showed Angeal earlier? And as for you," Vincent turned to Genesis. "Either you stand there and be quiet, or go exercise your wing with Angeal."

Sephiroth couldn't help but blink in surprise. No one, _no one_ told Genesis what to do with _that_ kind of tone. The red commander glared menacingly at the ex—Turk. Vincent only glared back, willing his challenger to try. And to everyone's surprise Genesis backed down, turning heel and angrily made his way towards the area his childhood friend was practicing.

"That's unusual." Zack commented to the girls.

"He doesn't know how Vincent fights. Plus he has a claw, so he holds one advantage against Genesis." Aerith explained.

Zack turned his attention back at the general, who was now flying a few easy exercises that Vincent had instructed Angeal to try earlier. First Sephiroth flapped the wing to gather up some strength and air for lift up. Already the general was floating two and a half feet off the ground. To the ex—Turk, this meant that the wing was strong and ready for a good flight.

"Good. Try and gain a little more altitude." Vincent calmly instructed.

Feeling a sense of over confidence, Sephiroth flapped the wing a little more vigorously. Apparently both had misjudged the wing's strength when the general now floated fifteen or twenty feet above them.

"You're too high. Straighten out your wing and float down at least ten feet." The ex—Turk called out.

Sephiroth did as he was told. His body instinctively straightened out much like Genesis had done. With his feet linked together, arms spread out to help balance the wing as it remained perfectly still in the air.

Vincent felt a swell of pride as he watched the general beautifully floated down. For a first timer, Sephiroth was in tune with his instincts. This was something that the other two angels had lacked during the first ten minutes of their exercises.

"Let's see you float all the way down." Vincent set the challenge.

Sephiroth smirked. His eyes seemed to sparkle from excitement. At that one moment the winds picked up, nearly dragging him off to the side. Sephiroth quickly regained control and balance after flapping his wing in a series of strong strokes that made his shoulder ache.

Brushing the pain to the back of his mind, Sephiroth straightened his body out once again. Vincent noticed the pace had quickened a little bit. Not much, but enough that the ex—Turk felt uneasy about it.

"Forget the challenge. Just land." Vincent ordered with a hint of worry in his voice.

The general frowned at the change of tone. But Sephiroth did as the ex—Turk instructed. He loosened his body and landed rather clumsily on shaken legs. The moment the wing had folded close to his body did Sephiroth feel the intense pain around the joint where wing met shoulder.

Vincent strode close to the general without fear as he tenderly felt over the sore joint. Sephiroth flinched when a finger pressed a little too painfully on the soreness. The wing instinctively flapped out. The ex—Turk dodged out of the way by stepping back.

"You used too much strength when the wind nearly carried you away. When you panic you strain the muscles and joints when you work too much." Vincent said.

"I imagine it doesn't help when I haven't flown for very long." Sephiroth added.

"No, but you show potential. We'll continue light exercises until you fully learn how to control your wing. Then we'll talk about long distances."

"Long distances?" Sephiroth echoed.

"I have an idea on how to reach Nibelheim. It'll take us a week at most to ready ourselves for our flight."

"A week is too long." The general shook his head.

"You're inexperienced. While you're in tune with your instincts, the other two need to learn how to listen to their guts." Vincent elaborated.

"You're all fast learners, so a week isn't so long. You should also be lucky to have an instructor, whilst I had to learn on my own." The ex—Turk added.

* * *

Shado: Well there ya go! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter.

1) Cloud is slightly immune to the Surai venom, how and why he only has a few changes of appearance shall be explained in the next chapter.

2) Yes, Vincent is going to be the instructor of how to use their wings. I thought it would be amusing, and it was also an excuse to show the differences between each of the angels wings. Naturally my favorite wing is Genesis. By the way, just a random question, but any of you seen the secret ending to Dirge of Cerberus? If you have, did anyone else notice how HUGE Gen's wing got compared to Crisis Core? It's like, almost half as long as a very tall building! Doesn't help when Genesis is slightly shorter than Angeal and Sephiroth.

Anyway, just felt like pointing them out. Please forgive my long absences and click the magic button and tell me what you think! (And yes, there will be more of Cloud next chap).


	16. Pushed To The Limits

Shado: There! Would have updated this on halloween day, but my beta reader didn't have time cuz her work decided to change the hours now and as another negative my computer decided to never wake up...which is why I'm updating with mom's computer, and the file of this chap saved on my flashdrive. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I think it's known by now that I own nothing

**Chapter 16 **Pushed To The Limits

* * *

Reno and Rude entered Nibelheim two days after Tseng had given them the orders. They were also aware that they couldn't return to Midgar until they found some clue as to where Cloud had gone.

"We miss the ol' general takin' down everyone at home an' now we're searching for our lost blondie. Man, life sucks, yo." The redhead sighed, exhaling a long stretch of smoke from his cigarette.

"Put that away." Rude said.

"Hey partner, where shall we start?" Reno ignored the bald man's order and took another inhale of his addiction.

Rude shook his head before leading the way around the small town. His partner silently followed, taking one last smoke before putting it out with a stomp of his foot.

"So, if our blondie fled around here, where would he go?" Reno swung his metal rod about lazily.

"Some place secretive."

"Somewhere no one would look."

Both Turks casted a glance at each other, both of them smiled.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin, partner?" Reno grinned widely from ear to ear.

"Shinra Mansion."

"Yup! Let's get goin'!" the redhead skipped on towards the outskirts of the town.

Rude shook his head at how childish his partner was being right now, but followed with a sprint.

After hours of thorough searching the old mansion, the Turks found nothing. Out of frustration Reno yelled like an animal and ran back outside with a fit that made Rude wonder if his partner had finally lost his mind from all the nicotine. The bald Turk sprinted out of the front door.

Rude had only taken a few steps outside when a howl echoed through the air. He paused, scanning their surroundings with quick precision. The Turk found nothing that could have made that howl, but someone did scream.

He felt his gut wrench when he realized the scream was his partner. The Turk bolted into a fast run. Rude reached the outside gates within four full strides. The bald man burst through the gates in time to witness his partner being taken away by a Surai.

"Reno!"

"Partner!" the redhead screamed as he flailed his limbs in hopes for escape.

But escape was futile when you're in the jaws of a huge monster. Rude didn't have enough time to pursue when they fled through the mountains. Flipping his phone open the Turk quickly dialed his boss' number.

"Report."

"I'm going to need backup."

Tseng was silent for a moment.

"What did he do this time?"

"It's not what he did. The Surai just kidnapped him." Rude said bluntly.

"…Investigate what's happening in the town. See if anyone else has mysteriously gone missing. I'll send the angels within the week. And I want you to keep in touch at least once a day."

"Right."

Rude hung up before sprinting back towards the inn he saw earlier in Nibelheim. Even though he wanted to go after Reno, he followed Tseng's orders to wait for backup in the little backwater town.

Meanwhile Reno was scared out of his skin. His wild ride in the jaws of death ended when he was brought into a nest of Surai. The monster that had him in its mouth rudely dropped him in the middle of the nest, immediately being circled by the others as if he was being served up like turkey.

"Man…this ain't good, yo." Reno mumbled to himself.

The worst week of his life just got worse.

The redhead instantly stilled as a huge Surai made its way towards him. This one seemed to be the leader of this odd pack. Its wolf shaped head was about the same size as the general's height. Reno nibbled his lip when the monster sniffed him.

Around its neck and halfway down its back was a dark mane. It was long and thick, showing that this Surai was a true leader.

The Surai's sleek body shone as it stepped back, almost grinning.

"_Turn him."_

'_That thing can talk?'_ Reno briefly wondered.

The Turk couldn't ponder over the mystery a moment longer when a smaller Surai, this one more snake—like, hissed and baring its fangs at him.

"Hey, whoa, whoa! Hold it, yo! You don't wanna mess with me!" Reno scooted back, but the creature kept on advancing.

A deep rumble echoed around him, it sounded like the Surai were laughing at him. The Surai that was hissing at him had the same lion like body build, wolf like ears, and a lion like snout. Around its neck were patches of fur forming a short mane. The rest of the body was covered in thick, green scales.

The thing leaped at him, its claws holding his arms down as it bit down on his shoulder. Reno screamed bloody murder, thrashing with his legs and arms but nothing would stop the Surai.

A few minutes later the creature stopped and stepped away. Another Surai, Reno guessed it was a female for it looked more like a lioness than the one that just bit him, gently picked him up between her jaws like she would carry a cub.

Before he knew it, the Turk was dropped into a huge nest with other humans that were turning into Surai. Reno twitched when he felt hands pulling him into a more comfortable position on his back. The redhead slowly turned his head, his vision was swimming with vibrant colors, but he could still make out the wild fluff of blond hair.

"Heh…came 'ere ta find ya, an' you're turnin' into one of 'em." Reno chuckles a hoarse laugh, his mouth was dry.

The last thing the Turk knew, he had been pondering over such irony when everything faded into black.

* * *

From the few days Cloud had been in this pack, he learned that every Surai had a job to fill out. There were those that hunted, either alone or in packs, depended on their personalities. Others only served the mightier Surai, being weak in battle and unable to hunt.

Then there were the Surai that took care of the young. Most of them were the females, taking in the humans that were bitten or pups they have actually given birth to. There were some males that filled in the role of caring surrogate mothers. They were rare, but they were still treated with respect amongst the other mothers.

These male surrogate mothers couldn't give birth, obviously, but neither could they properly be bred. In a way they were sterile, and for many reasons such as not spreading any disorders or diseases they had when they were once human.

One of the males, in the nest next to the one Cloud was currently being babied in, wasn't pure. When he was a human, he had suffered through a disease. He apparently loved the wilderness, and decided to spend his last few days in a little old cabin in the mountains. The Surai were hunting within that area, where one of the hunters found him and brought him back to their leader to decide his fate.

The leader was the biggest, and strongest amongst the pack. He was the perfect mix of lion, snake, and wolf. In perfect balance that was rare for the Surai. Usually these creatures were more of one or the other of these three animals mixed into one monster. Take the leader's three younger brothers for instance, one was more snake, another more lion, and the last more wolf.

While the pack was expecting the diseased human to become food, their leader had chosen a different fate for this young man. Although he was strong in battle, he wasn't able to mate due to his health in his human life.

So unless there was a battle, he took on the job as a surrogate mother. Now and then he hunted to keep his strength in check.

What Cloud had also learned during his short time here was that he was somehow immune to most of the venom. Some of it was able to penetrate his DNA and change him a little bit, hence the wolf ears and a few inches extra in height.

But he still looked human.

"_You are part Cetra, and with Jenova and mako thrown into the mix you'll only experience a few changes. Also, Jenova has something special planned for you, boy."_ The leader told him the first day Cloud had been introduced into the pack.

And now, two days after he had been taken in by a devoted female with her two little ones, and another human being turned, she brought back another. Cloud heard the commotion outside, but he wasn't allowed to peek through the entrance of the den. The blond thought he recognized the voice, but he wasn't sure.

When the female brought in the new addition to the pack, Cloud's suspicions were confirmed.

Reno had been caught. And now he was turning into one of them.

Out of instinct Cloud wished not to watch this young man being turned into a Surai.

Sensing his distress, the female gently nudged him towards the whimpering redhead.

"_You are immune to our venom. If you wish for him not to be fully turned, then bite him. Our leader has granted you to keep a few by your side if you wish. But only with those you know the most."_ The female explained.

Cloud had never heard of such granted authority, but the leader only told him things when situations like this had come their way. So without hesitation the blond turned the Turk over to his back. Those eyes were barely open, the color was swirling between yellow and the natural green.

Reno seemed to recognize him, and that was all the confirmation Cloud needed to bite down on the redhead's shoulder, injecting his own anti—venom.

Throughout the night Cloud remained by the Turk's side, watching the other's progress. The first night was always critical when someone was being turned into a Surai. Only those who have the strongest of will to live on survive such an ordeal.

He watched as the redhead started to grow green scales along his arms, legs, mid section and around his lower jaw. This brought into mind that Reno had been bitten by the leader's brother that was more snake, or was often called "Green Mamba", for his green and slim body structure.

As Cloud kept an eye on Reno's progress, he pondered over the other three brothers. The lion brother was the second biggest within the pack. He was ruthless, and cared of nothing else but power. Because of his ruthless and greed for raw power, he was dubbed "Leo Diablo", translation: Lion Devil. A fitting name for a cruel Surai.

The brother that was more wolf was the one Cloud knew of the least. He was always quiet and remained in the shadows most of the time. From what he heard from the female, Afua, who had taken him in, this Surai wolf was dangerous in battle. He was silent as he ran in strong strides, and always quick to eliminate his opponents. He was rightfully called "Muerte de Santo", or "Saint Death".

Meanwhile the leader of this pack was like an alpha male wolf. Even though he was a perfect balance of all three creatures that made a Surai, he had the aura of alpha male. He would keep his members of the pack in line, baring fangs or reminding them who was boss when he needed to. On the first day of his life in this pack, Cloud accidently called him "Alpha" without asking permission.

The blond had expected to get a lashing from the big male, but instead a deep rumble sounded from his throat. It took Cloud a moment to realize that the leader was laughing. The huge Surai had told him it was the first time someone dared to name him, and from then on the name stuck.

Before he knew it, the sun had arisen. Cloud glanced down at the Turk, noticing the whimpering had stopped. But the redhead was still breathing, surviving the critical stages. With a sigh, the blond lowered himself onto the floor from his sitting position to curl up and fall asleep.

The same moment he had fallen asleep, Afua had opened her eyes. She needed food for her pups were only a few weeks old. As she carefully got to her feet, she glanced over at Cloud with amusement.

He had dark circles under his eyes. Cloud was often the one she woke up to watch over the pups when she left to eat, but this time she felt not to. Afua instead gently picked up each pup and brought them over between the blond and the redhead. She didn't trust the other human that had kept a good distance from her as much as possible.

Surprisingly the two little ones didn't wake up from being shifted, thus they wouldn't wake up Cloud anytime soon. Knowing that her pups will be kept warm, Afua silently left the den to satisfy her hunger.

* * *

Upon the third day since Rude had contacted Tseng about Reno's kidnapping by the Surai of all things, he was contacted once again by more pressing news. With some thorough investigating around town, he found out that the Surai have also taken away other town members.

After the Head Turk hung up, he set his phone down with a sigh and rubbed his forehead. Everything had gone downhill the moment Cadet Strife was sent on that dangerous mission.

Tseng wasn't so optimistic about anything until he first saw Strife. After he had guessed that Strife was one of the angels, he actually grew a little excited over the matter.

It meant that there was one more to go. Then by some miracle, Vincent Valentine has returned from the dead, claiming to be an angel. But his return came with a price, they lost Cloud.

Tseng didn't take into account that Hojo knew of the angels. Or of the dark secrets he had kept hidden about Valentine's twenty years or so disappearance. And now they were all paying the price. Everything that they had envisioned for the perfect opportunity to bring down the darkness that promised to choke and destroy the planet inside and out, was shattered.

'_When did it all go wrong?'_ Tseng pursed his lips together from the troubling thought.

Tseng replayed the strange events surrounding Cloud that he had witnessed. The first was when the blond angel took on the gang in the slums to protect Aerith. He was doing well on his own, but he had the help of what amount of mako the blond had in his system. Even from far away the Head Turk had recognized the eerie green glow in those eyes.

The second strange event was when Tseng walked in on Reno molesting Cadet Strife (in the middle of a hallway no less). The Turk was about to intervene when he once again saw the same green glow in the cadet's eyes. Tseng had witnessed the similar ferocity of Cloud's attacks on the redheaded Turk just like that day in the slums.

Tseng pursed his lips together when his thoughts wandered to Hojo. It wasn't surprising that such a madman had secretly injected Jenova and mako cells into Cadet Strife. But he was surprised that Hojo's deceiving acts went back a good twenty, thirty years.

He only wished that Vincent could have squeezed a little more information out of the scientist. Then a thought crossed his mind.

The Head Turk picked up his office phone for his secretary.

"This is Tseng. Send up Fuji Ryu, please."

Within the three days of being instructed by Vincent, the three soldiers had advanced incredibly. Genesis was getting better at landing at high speeds without hurting himself or nearly crashing. Angeal was getting the hang of fast turns, and Sephiroth was getting better by the hour.

Now for a small test. He hadn't meant to test them this early into their training, but they were accelerating at such fast rates Vincent had to. But before he could test them, he also had to grant them a fair warning.

"What are we doing today?" Genesis seemed to be in a bouncing mood, probably from a round with Sephiroth before today's lesson started.

"All of you will be tested for your abilities. Now I warn you, I'm going to unleash one of my demons for this test. He's dangerous, and not afraid to taunt any of you." Vincent spoke in a serious tone.

"Don't you have full control of your demons?" Angeal furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes, but I promised him some freedom for his help to bring down Sephiroth on his rampage." The ex—Turk explained.

"Isn't it supposed to be a full day?" Aerith tilted her head.

"This is only going to cut that full day into a smaller portion. I don't trust him with complete control with a day of freedom." Vincent replied.

'_Smart, human.'_ Chaos commented.

"How dangerous is this demon?" Sephiroth inquired with slight curiosity.

"Stronger than the other demons and I combined."

"Then why grant him such privilege?" Genesis all but frowned.

"Chaos is the only demon that has wings for this test. Hojo stripped my wings away years ago, replaced by Chaos' own wings." Vincent informed with a distant look in his eyes.

The general nodded. "What is this test about?"

"To see how far you've really advanced during your training. You will be tested for your speed, quick thinking, and some battle skills while in flight. But you get the advantage of using your weapons while Chaos does not."

"Sounds fair. Are we going to be tested one by one or in a group?" Angeal wondered out loud.

"One by one. Any volunteers who want to go first?" Vincent glanced from one angel to another with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll gladly go first." Genesis stepped forward, eyes sparkling with the thought of a challenge.

Somehow Vincent wasn't all surprised that the Poetic Angel stepped in first.

"I'll give you a ten second head start. And we're going to need some space…" the ex—Turk trailed off, and the others quickly stepped back or aside to grant them room.

"When shall we start?" Genesis inquired, tilting his head to one side.

"Now."

The red commander immediately took flight. His wing took only half a second to materialize out of his shoulder and lifted him up with one powerful stroke. Vincent inwardly smirked. Genesis had improved his speed greatly the past few days.

'_But will it be enough?'_ Chaos grinned in their link.

The ex—Turk closed his eyes, and let go of his body for the demon. His body glows a dark crimson, the cloak split in half and forming two leathery wings. Sephiroth's eyes widened the shape of them.

They were bat like, black and dark purple around the thin bones before transforming into red leather skin. No one had expected such a shape of wings.

With a feral growl, Chaos grinned as he flashed his fangs before taking off with a leap. Within a couple of flaps of his powerful wings the demon was able to come within attacking distance of Genesis. The red commander immediately dodged an attack with the demon's claw by a back flip, aiming to kick the other on the back.

Chaos dodged, whirling himself to fly with his back to the ground. As he turned, the demon extended his wings to their full length and aimed them to strike Genesis. Chaos was so quick that the red commander didn't have time to react when two spikes at the end of the wings scraped his middle.

Genesis darted to the left, ignoring the demon's laughter.

"What's the matter, phoenix? Scared of a dirty tactic?" Chaos taunted.

The red commander glanced over his shoulder. The demon was still flying upside up. That was something Vincent had warned never to do. Yet this demon was taunting him to try.

Keeping himself in line, Genesis flew a little higher. Chaos tilted his head, wondering what the pupil was up to. A moment later the angel dove down. The black wing clung to his side as he reached top speed straight to the demon.

Quickly Chaos spun himself to dodge, but before he could fully get away Genesis unsheathed his Rapier and swung it at the demon as he passed. He didn't aim for the demon's middle, but more at the arm. But with Chaos' spinning the tip of the red Rapier missed and instead sliced a thigh.

'_That was way off…'_ Genesis mentally slapped himself.

Chaos beat his wings faster once he stopped spinning to get a good distance between him and the angel to examine the wound. Genesis kept his distance. Instead he practiced floating where he was even when the winds picked up a little.

The demon half turned around to see the back of his thigh. The wound wasn't deep, but it was rather long. It went from mid thigh in a diagonal line to near the front of his leg above the knee. Chaos growled with disgust.

'_You should have kept Cerberus, human.'_ The demon snapped at Vincent.

'_It wouldn't do the world any good if anyone of the angels died at the hands of you.'_ The ex—Turk reasoned.

Chaos snarled as he turned himself around. Genesis pursed his lips together with worry. The demon looked furious.

Without warning Chaos darted forward, claws at the ready.

* * *

Shado: Oh yes, Cloud and Reno are sitting in a Surai nest and the other four angels are blissfully unaware of what's happening to them. And no, they're not going to be eaten. If that was ever to happen then Cloud would have died a chapter back...and Reno would have never been chosen to live among them.

So! I hope I cleared a few clouded details of the Surai, and I hope that they're to your liking. Kind of a way to show both sides of the angels and Surai. xD

1) Afua: I'm afraid I didn't write down what her name means...but I do know its African in origin, I just can't recall what it means...sorry.

Please click the magic button below and tell me what you think so I can (hopefully) continue writing the next chap! (Sorry if it'll take a while)


	17. Jenova's Upbringing

Shado: Sorry for the wait, I had unwanted drama distracting me almost every moment I was trying to finish this up for my beta reader and for you guys. But I think things have calmed down a lot, so updating should be a little faster now. Or hopefully. All thanks go to my beta reader Lady Divanora, she was a real help on clearing up a few things in this chap.

Disclaimer: I think its obvious I own nothing

**Chapter 17 **Jenova's Upbringing

* * *

Genesis didn't have enough time to react let alone think when the demon literally crashed into him. The pair immediately curled their wings around each other, Chaos snapping his fangs to get a clear bite on the commander's shoulders and neck. The demon was also lashing out with his claws as the tumbled down. All Genesis could do was shield the claws with his sword, and curled his body into a tight ball as they rolled and fell towards the ground.

When they were around ten feet to the plate, Genesis timed his move right when Chaos was just below him and used him as leverage for his legs. Within moments the demon crashed to the metal ground and created a huge crater ten feet across, five feet down.

"Oops…" Genesis wondered exactly what made him try such a dangerous attempt. But as he tried to step off the other, Chaos effortlessly raised an arm and gripped an ankle.

With a yelp the red commander was tossed across the metal ground like a flat pebble skipping the water's surface. Genesis wasn't able to stop until he struck Rapier into the ground, sliding into a stop.

'_You shouldn't have used that much strength.' _Vincent scolded.

'_He shouldn't have used that trick on us in the first place.'_ Chaos growled.

Sephiroth took a few steps toward his love that weakly stood up using his sword to balance himself when Chaos growled in warning. The general stopped in his tracks to glare at Chaos with narrowed eyes.

"You could have killed him." Sephiroth spoke in a menacing manner.

"If he's able to stand then he'll be just fine." The demon snarled, baring his fangs.

At this threatening gesture the silver haired general reluctantly stepped back. If this demon hadn't shared the same body with Vincent, then Sephiroth would have struck him down with Masamune. The tall angel secretly planned a little payback on the demon when it was his turn.

Chaos made his way to Genesis within five leaps. The red commander stiffened at the raging attack, quickly casting himself a Cura before dodging the demon's lunge. When Chaos went rolling across the plate from his failed lunge, Genesis took to the air once again.

The demon stopped himself from rolling off the plate to jump up and fly after the Poetic Angel. Genesis looked down once, before twisting and flapping his wing to lengthen the distance between them. When it was a good distance for the commander, he clenched his left hand, drawing in his magic into the fist.

In seconds' fire danced around his hand. Its warmth intensified as Genesis clenched his fist harder, eyeing his target. When Chaos stopped in mid air in realization, the red commander threw six fireballs at once.

The demon frantically tried to dodge the fireballs. Chaos managed to dodge two of them before one hit him square in the face, temporarily blinding him. Genesis sneered as the demon stopped once again to clear away the ash from his eyes. The red commander then waved his free arm around to redirect the flames back towards his opponent.

Chaos let out an ear splitting shriek as his body was engulfed in flames. Although he couldn't be burned to death, it didn't mean the pain wasn't there. A sickening feeling grew in his gut, and Chaos soon realized that he was quickly losing altitude.

Unable to see, the demon flapped his wings to slow his descent. But he didn't turn out of fear he would miss the landing. Chaos knew that he was above the iron plate that hovered above Midgar, if he were to flap his wings to a different direction he would have to rely on the others for a lift back up.

'_Which I'm not allowing.'_ Chaos growled at himself.

Genesis watched as the surprisingly calm demon floated straight down. Chaos was a little clumsy as the winds picked up, but the demon was still blind from a fireball to his face. The red commander landed gracefully onto the plate, awaiting the demon.

Chaos was slowly starting to panic, he should be landing now. Finally his toes felt solid steel. The red leathery wings flapped to steady him before tucking close to his body. Feeling vulnerable Chaos knelt down.

With his enhanced senses of smell and hearing, he could tell that Genesis was five feet away. Chaos could hear the strong heartbeat of the Poetic Angel, as well as the soft feathers of his huge wing rustling from the winds.

Genesis dashed forward, his attack almost silent. But that one second of the push off the ground from one foot, Chaos heard it. The demon heard the soft ringing of Rapier as it readied to strike. When the aroma of cinnamon and a faint hint of cologne that was most likely from Sephiroth came closer, Chaos rolled out of the way at the last minute, barely dodging Rapier's rapid strike.

Surprised, Genesis watched as the demon evaded his attack. Shaking off the shock, the red commander reversed his sword's strike. Chaos heard the whoosh of the crimson weapon, and back flipped into the air. As the demon leapt over his opponent, his back hit something soft yet firm.

Chaos felt the strange thing flung back along with him from the force. The demon landed with a loud thud, facing the commander's back. He heard a few furious flaps, realizing what he had brushed over his back and let out a few chuckles.

Alarmed, Genesis whirled around to see sharp fangs mocking him.

"First lesson of the day: When on land and your wing is out, keep it as close to your body as possible. If you keep it spread out it will only serve as a target, it wouldn't be great if one of the angels had their wings shredded to pieces." Chaos then stretched his own wings out.

"Unless of course, you're using them as a form of attack." The demon then spun his body in circles, using his legs and arms to propel him as he blindly aimed the sharp edges of his wings at Genesis.

The Poetic Angel parried away, but as Chaos followed the sound of his footsteps one of the wings struck across a chest. Genesis gasped, taking a risk to glance down to see a red gash from between his neck and the shoulder guard down to cross the wound from earlier on his stomach.

At that point Chaos stopped swirling himself around with a snort and stood up. The demon spread his legs into a steady stance, arms raised in a form of fighting style he learned from his host's memories with wings tucked in close. Genesis' eyes narrowed as the demon's body swayed a little, his claws weren't balled in fists.

"Payback for that wound on my thigh." Chaos flashed a wary grin.

Genesis focused on the injured leg, it was still bleeding but not so heavily. Then he noticed that Chaos wasn't putting much weight on the leg. Smiling at the weakness, Genesis sheathed his sword.

As expected, Chaos tilted his head in confusion. Taking advantage of the distraction the red commander lunged forward and successfully landed a punch into the demon's gut. Chaos grunted in pain but lashed with his left claw. Genesis swiftly blocked, wincing when the claw latched onto his wrist and drew a bit of blood.

But before the demon could lash with his free arm, Genesis pulled Chaos forward and onto the ground. His plan was to corner the demon using the plate underneath, but Chaos used his long legs and wings to roll away. Strangely his claw had yet to let go of Genesis, so the red commander was pulled with the frantic demon. In a fit of panic the black wing flapped, continuing the rolling towards their audience.

Sephiroth gracefully side stepped out of the way, watching with bemusement that soon faded into fear. The general could smell the hint of rich copper, whether the blood was from Chaos or Genesis still bothered the silver haired man. The scent shouldn't be this strong in the air.

Finally the rolling human wheel stopped when Chaos used a long leg to kick Genesis in the ribs. The red commander coughed as he tumbled to the steel, accidently landing on one of the demonic wings. Chaos stilled, worried that if he moved the fragile bones of the wing would break under the weight.

'_Face it, he wins.'_ Vincent spoke calmly to his demon.

Chaos snorted but made no intention to say a word.

"You pass. Now get off." The ex—Turk's voice overrode the demon's, taking control for only a moment.

'_You damned fool!' _Chaos cursed at Vincent.

The ex—Turk didn't reply. Vincent had retreated once again to his safety net in their mind.

'_Coward.'_ The demon snorted.

Genesis cautiously and carefully stood up, warily watching the demon. He felt a hand help him steady his balance and glanced up to see Sephiroth off to the side. The general gently led his lover away as Aerith knelt down next to Chaos.

The demon's nose scrunched up when the smell of flowers overwhelming his senses. The sweet aroma made him nauseous, silently wishing he could move away. He was surprised when he felt a handkerchief gently rubbed away the ashes. When the cloth retreated Chaos blinked his eyes open to see that everyone was standing around him.

"…This is why I hate humans." Chaos growled.

"Why, because you don't like it when people are trying to see if you're ok?" Zack crossed his arms.

"No because I don't want your damn pity. And I'd rather face a thousand Behemoth's instead of socializing with weaklings." The demon hissed.

"He's a grouch isn't he?" the young soldier commented in a low whisper.

"Don't say that in front of him, pup. You'll make things worse." Angeal warned.

"If you were paying attention to the fight, my hearing is ten times better than yours." Chaos snarled with a glare at the puppy.

Zack hastily stepped back to hide behind his lover. With the demon distracted, Aerith held her hands above the injured thigh. Even though the wound was in the back, she could still heal it. The Cetra's hands glowed green as she channeled her magic. Chaos let out a loud hiss, twitching as the wound closed up.

"There." The flower girl declared once she was done. Aerith stood up, daring to clasp a gentle grip around the demon's wrist to help him up.

To everyone's surprise Chaos didn't hiss, growl, or throw a fit. The demon lifted himself up, using her grip on his arm as leverage as he straightened. Chaos pawed the ground with what used to be his injured leg and chuckled when there was no pain.

"Not bad." The demon commented.

Aerith nodded; she understood that was as close to a 'thank you' she would get.

"Honorable Angel, you're next." Chaos announced as he distanced himself from the humans to give room for his wings.

Angeal followed after the demon, his white wing sprouting from his shoulder. Before he could take off, the general interrupted with a step toward Chaos.

"What if I want to have a go first?" Sephiroth sent a fierce stare. His green eyes unnerved the demon.

"Sorry, pretty boy. But let's save the best for last." Chaos laughed.

Deciding now was a good time as any Angeal flapped his great wing once and took to the sky. Even though speed wasn't his specialty, the honorable soldier took advantage of the strong winds that carried him further up and covered a vast distance by the time Chaos took flight.

Meanwhile Sephiroth watched feeling very irritated that the demon dared to toy with him.

* * *

While the others were being tested, the youngest of the angels found himself in a rather dangerous predicament. Cloud, Reno, and another young Surai that appeared mostly lion, were out on a hunting mission. Alpha had given them the mission as a means for a test to see how well Cloud and Reno could hunt compared to a fully transformed human turned Surai.

So far the fully transformed monster was winning. The young lion Surai had struck down three bucks and one doe before the two Halflings could plan their attempt on a target. To make things worse, the weather decided not to be on their side and started snowing.

Reno, being part snake, didn't handle the freezing temperatures so well. The redhead kept shivering and mumbling about the worst week of his life. Multiple times Cloud had to hold Reno close, since he was more wolf with enhanced mako in his system he gave off body heat. And the snow didn't bother him too much.

But this slowed them down. Eventually Cloud had to stop and take cover under low branches of a pine tree. The redhead's lips were a dark shade of blue. His uncovered hands were stiff from the cold.

"Th—this is f—fucked up, yo." Reno cursed as he curled up next to the blond.

"Just stay awake." Cloud assured. "Once he's done with this hunt we'll head back."

"He c—ca—can take his sw—sweet time, you're fucking warm." The redhead nuzzled his face into the other's chest.

Cloud growled low in warning as his ears flattened into his spiked hair.

"Don't worry, yo. I'm not g—gonna try anythin'. My rib s—still hurts ya know." Reno said.

Silence filled the air. The snowstorm had finally subsided into a soft falling of snow. Cloud watched through the pines as the snow finally stopped some minutes later. The decline of the bitter cold had stopped as well, and soon the air wasn't so bitter and it no longer felt like their lungs were freezing up.

Then the wolf ears twitched. Cloud heard faint screams from a far off distance. Alarmed, the blond peered out from under the low branches for a better hearing. Reno, who was dozing on and off, groaned from the loss of warmth.

"Hey, what's a matter, yo?" the redhead yawned.

"I hear…screams." Cloud whispered as his ears perked forward, straining to listen.

Reno cautiously peered out, careful not to touch the snow. The redhead examined the forest around them, trying to pick up any movement. Since he was half snake, Reno had the ability to see like one if he wished. He could see thermal colorations, picking up anything that Cloud couldn't see.

"I don't see anythin', yo." Reno stated, just about ready to retreat from the opening.

"Wait…the only population of humans within miles is in Nibelheim." Cloud glanced worriedly at the other.

"Shit…do ya think that lion Surai had the guts to attack the town?" the redhead realized.

"Let's go." The blond crawled out, anxious to see the source of the screams.

"You're a real handful." Reno commented, not wanting to move from his spot. But Cloud was the leader, and the redhead knew that to bring down a crazed fully transformed Surai he'll need a partner.

So with great reluctance, Reno crawled out after the half wolf despite the freezing cold temperatures. As soon as the redhead was standing upright, Cloud broke into a full run. Reno struggled to follow close behind, but with becoming a Halfling he acquired an increase in speed and strength.

But the redhead managed to keep up, dodging a few trees that were in the way. It didn't take long before the screams were evident in the air. Now Reno was troubled by the thought of witnessing a Surai tear and shred innocent bodies. The horrid thoughts were enough to pick up the pace and they ran faster into a rocky path.

The smell of blood was heavy, filling their nostrils even though they were within ten feet from the town. Cloud bolted into the entrance of Nibelheim to discover the young lion using two of his six legs to hold down a couple of the townspeople. Reno clutched his stomach with one hand, the other over his mouth at the sight of one of the bodies was torn and organs sprawled over the ground.

Cloud's ears flattened when he realized that the second person was alive, and struggling to escape. He recognized Tifa with her long hair, and her father frantically ordering the other men to distract the creature long enough for his only child to escape. The blond saw that her shoulder was bleeding not from the claws, but from a vicious bite.

'_Punishment for turning a human without Alpha's permission is death.'_ Cloud repeated one of the few rules of the clan. Alpha did not tolerate any accidental turnings when he didn't give the word.

Without a moment's hesitation the blond ran forward to leap at the creature's shoulder. The lion head whirled around, snapping his lethal jaws at Cloud. The leader of the hunt was just out of reach, and dug his claws in a little deeper as the young Surai started shaking its body.

Reno, who had gotten over the ugly sight, cautiously made his way to the trapped girl. He could tell she was weakening as the venom took effect. The redhead grabbed hold of one of the toes to lift it up. Her legs were now free to crawl out.

"C'mon, sweet cheeks, ya don't have much time here!" Reno was losing his hold.

With an angry huff, the girl pulled with her legs and wiggled herself out of the claw's hold. Reno let go of the toe, just when the Surai just started to roll. Its plan to squash Cloud with his weight failed when he rolled into the water tower.

The blond unsheathed one of the six pieces of First Ken, Cloud had taken two pieces to use as weapons and made a make shift strap (with Reno's help) on his shoulders. The two pieces were crossed over each other to give room for his wings. Even though Cloud hadn't used his wings since the day he had ran away from Shinra, he knew he still had them.

Cloud began to strike the Surai's neck. Unfortunately the Surai was male, and had a rather thick mane. The young male managed to stand up and caught the blond off guard. Cloud fell to the ground, stabbing the shoulder as he fell. The sword was stuck, and Cloud didn't have a strong grip on the handle.

The creature howled in pain, its two right legs now rendered useless due to the sword on his shoulder. With the Surai distracted, Cloud unsheathed his other sword and leapt up to slice at the other's throat. The male fell. The blond had made a clean cut across the creature's windpipe.

"Strife, you're alive." Rude was the first to speak, cautiously stepping forward.

Cloud tilted his head at the bald Turk. "I vaguely remember you…you're Reno's partner, right?"

Rude nodded in confirmation before taking a glance at the redhead. Reno's scales were mostly covered by his clothes, but he had nothing to cover the few that were along his jaw line and outlining his cheek bones.

"Partner…what happened?" Rude stared, unsure if what he saw was correct.

"The Surai bit me. I would have turned out just like the one Little Cloud just killed if it weren't for him, yo. Ya see he's got some anti venom or somethin' of the like." Reno scratched his head nervously.

"Speaking of which…the girl was bitten by it?" the redhead peered down at the damsel he and Cloud saved.

Rude inclined his head as a yes.

"Yo, Cloud! What should we do now?" Reno called out as the blond retrieved his other sword.

Before Cloud could answer, Tifa's father ran to his daughter's side. The blond then realized that the townspeople were surrounding them, staring wide eyes at his wolf ears and Reno's scales. Feeling uneasy, Cloud sheathed the twin swords and kept a wary eye out for anyone who held a pitchfork or a shovel.

"What's wrong with her?" the man demanded.

"She got bitten, that's what." Reno remarked with a snort.

"You dare mock me, Shinra lapdog!" Tifa's father roared at the redhead. Taken by surprise, Reno stepped away from the man and closer to the blond.

"Whoa, take it easy, yo." Reno held his hands up.

"What he means to say is that the Surai venom is coursing through her. Within twenty four hours she will be transforming into one of them." Cloud pointed at the now dead lion like creature.

"Is there any way to reverse the transformation?" Rude glanced from Cloud to Reno.

"No not really, yo." The redhead shook his head.

"But I can prevent it from going too far." Cloud announced. "As Reno said earlier, I have my own anti venom to stop the human body from transforming. But it can't completely stop it…"

The blond referred to the redhead's visible scales.

"So what does this mean? She'll grow scales and animal ears?" Tifa's father scowled.

"No, not scales. She'll gain lion ears or a tail possibly. It all depends on what kind of a Surai that bit you to gain the animal…attributes." Cloud explained further.

"So how do you stop it from it completely taking over her?" the bald Turk questioned further.

"…Biting her, sir. I stop it by biting her." Cloud lowered his gaze.

"_Biting?_ No way in hell I'm gonna allow you to bite my daughter!" the man yelled.

"Hey! If you don't want our help, then go right ahead, yo!" Reno hissed. "She will become a monster by this time tomorrow."

"Quiet, Reno." Cloud growled, already uneasy with the townspeople's murmurings.

"No, I will not quiet down! I've been havin' the worst time of my life and I don't have to deal with this shit!" the redhead screamed.

"You're going to get us killed if you keep this up Reno." The blond warned while his ears flattened.

That brought the Turk back to his senses and he shut up. If there was one thing that Reno was smart about, it was the angels. Cloud had to live, no matter what happens. The world needed five sons of the goddess. If one of them were to die the planet would fall into darkness.

'_But something will happen so long as we continue to live with the Surai…'_ Reno frowned as he casted a nervous glance at his partner.

Rude stared back through his shades. The bald Turk noticed Reno's discomfort. Cloud's ear twitched when he heard someone clear their throat. The blond turned back to see Rude taking a few steps toward him.

"Our mission was to find and retrieve you. We can bring you back to Midgar after we get these people to safety." The bald Turk suggested.

For a moment Cloud considered this. He thought about Afua, and her two pups. Cloud didn't despise all of the Surai, not when he met a caring mother and her two pups. Then there was Alpha—

The blond winced when his thoughts wandered to the leader of the clan. A female voice screamed at him, one minute the voice was muttering soft encouragements then she started shrieking inside his head.

'_Kill all these people! Kill them all! Lure my son, my son to this town. I need my son, MY son! Bring him to me! Together, we can create the Reunion!'_

Cloud held his head from the pain. His hears flattened and he felt his knees met dirt. The pain intensified as he tried to resist the order. Cloud's body shook as his sensitive ears heard ringing.

"Cloud! Yo, Cloud, are you ok? Cloud!" Reno ran to the blonde's side, kneeling beside him.

"R—Reno, take me away…Mother…wants me to k—kill them…" the blond whispered as he attempted to explain with as few words as possible due to the pain.

'_Kill them! KILL THEM!'_

The redhead glanced up at his partner with worry.

"Rude, partner…I know that our mission is to bring him home ASAP, but right now Cloud needs to be freed of Jenova. Call boss man and update everything you've seen today. I'm sorry partner…" Reno couldn't finish the rest of his sentence when Cloud let out a feral growl, baring his fangs.

The Turk didn't have another warning as the blond attempted to attack the nearest human, mainly Rude. Reno shouted and grabbed hold of the stronger male around the stomach to pull him back. Cloud rammed his elbow into the redhead's gut, forcing the other to the ground.

Rude had taken out his weapon, ready to fight back when the blond made his move. But Cloud lunged not at the bald Turk, but the injured girl and her father. Rude wasn't fast enough to get between them, he couldn't do anything but watch was Cloud knocked the father away.

"Cloud, no!" Reno bolted after the blond. Screams filled the air once again as Cloud bit Tifa's arm.

The redhead pulled Cloud away, eyes widening as the girl's father encouraged the other men to kill them.

"They're monsters! We should kill them! Rid the world of their filth!" the man shouted, earning yells of agreement and men sprinted towards them with their pitchforks.

"I don't know if you're in right mind or not but…we're gonna need a miracle here!" Reno cried as the circle of men closed in on them.

In an instant two wings sprouted from Cloud's shoulders. The redhead stared at them in awe, as did the other men as they paused in their attack. They didn't know what to make of the angelic wings. Or…one of them was angelic.

The left wing was an inky black. Its length was about twice the size of Cloud's height, Reno guessed. The wing was folded in close to its owner's body like an extended limb curled in close.

But the other wing was smaller. Reno heard that it had been nearly shredded by a Surai on Cloud's first and last mission for Shinra. But under the dim light, the wing shone brightly in its pure whiteness like the snow. Unlike the black wing, the smaller one was extended out, about the same size as Cloud's height.

"Looks like we got that miracle…" Reno whispered to himself when the blond began flapping his wings.

Afraid he was going to be left behind the redhead wrapped his arms around Cloud's neck just as the blond took flight. Cloud almost crashed into a roof from the unexpected added weight.

"Whoa! I don't wanna die, yo!" Reno shrieked when they came within mere inches away from the rooftop. The blond regained balance and flew higher and they were soon out of sight.

Down below, Rude was struggling to find a signal to call Tseng.

* * *

Shado: The joys of cell phones. They're awesome, but right when you needed it for an emergency...well, we'll see if Tseng gets the call or not, ne? I'm such a tease when it comes to writing.

1) The Term Halflings: I think this is self explanatory, but it's basically what Cloud and Reno (and soon Tifa) are. Half Surai and half mortal, though Cloud isn't a normal human being so maybe Hafling isn't a good word to describe him...oh well.

So! If you'd like to see how things turn out, please click the lovely review button and tell me what you think!

Happy New Year! (A little late but...meh).


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